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Analysis on bronze mirror with knobs found from Ha Tinh and some problems about this type

Bronze mirrors are favourite products of ancient Chinese inhabitants. They originated from bronze clothes buttons of Karasuc cultural nomads in the south of Minutsin from the late 3rd - early 2nd millenniums BC. In the Yin period, the button backs cast with incised decorative designs became valuable products used as mirrors. Through the State-war and Han periods, the decorative designs became more and more subtle and sophisticated. Bronze mirrors with knobs appeared in the State-war period and in Han period they were found in a large number with diversified decorative designs. The number of knobs on a mirror is very varied, from 4, 5, 6...to 48, 55... The mirror with the most knobs - 100 knobs is now kept at the provincial Museum of Shanghai. A lot of Chinese researchers base on the quantity of knobs or other signs on a mirror to set up a name or explain the significance of the knobs variously. In our country, bronze mirrors were scatteredly found in many places: Son Tay, Bac Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh... They have been discovered in Vietnam with typological method in combination with analyzed results from the mirror found in Ha Tinh with the methods of Neutron activation, electronic galvanopuncture and spectrum mass MAT 262. The author supposes that in the period before and after the Era, bronze mirrors with fertile symbols satisfied the desire of having numerous offsprings so that they were widely exchanged. To meet this popular demand, some centres for casting bronze mirrors came into existence. Thanh Hoa metallurgical centre, which used to be famous for its Dong Son bronze products, had one more new type: bronze mirrors.

Attempt to study relationship between Phung Nguyen inhabitants and other contemporary people in Southeast Asia and South China

The Phung Nguyen culture of early Bronze Age, ca 4,000BP, was a base for the continuous development of the three successive cultural layers in the Red river basin: Dong Dau- Go Mun- Dong Son. Through 45 years of discovery and studies, there have been approximately 70 sites explored and excavated. There are aburidant and diversified terra-cottas and stone artifacts, including 5 original types of artifacts: 4-knobbed earrings, stone quos, nha chuong (a type of stone weapon), beaters and chac gom (pottery tripods). The paper initially introduces the process of discovery and study of these 5 types and an attempt to study of the multi-lateral relations and the contributions of Phung Nguyen inhabitants and other contemporary people in Southeast Asia, South China and Taiwan.

Ceramics from Nguyen period

At the end of the Le period (17th-18th centuries) - at the beginning of Nguyen period, the Vietnamese ceramics continued to decline. The State allowed to open ceramic kilns such as "Official kilns" in the Tran period to produce decorative tiles and bricks...for the royal citadel building, especially for Hue capital construction. The kilns for production of ceramics, tiles and bricks in the local areas were mainly to satisfy partly the consumption demand of home inhabitants. It is possible to see 6 groups of ceramics from the Nguyen period: 1. Ceramics for construction of Hue capital; 2. The North Ceramics; 3. The Central Vietnamese Ceramics; 4. The South Ceramics; 5. Ceramics imported from China; 6. Ceramics imported from Europe. However, the court tried to limit the consumption of home ceramics and had no principles to encourage the ceramic production to develop. On the contrary, Chinese, Japanese and European ceramics were dramatically imported to Vietnam, including the ones produced according to the orders from the Nguyen court (accompanied with samples) and the European ones were used by the court and then more decorated with glazed designs before the second burning, with the bottom written "Minh Mang year... with more decoration", which are so-called Blues de Hue by some French.

Da But social space: In case of Con Co Ngua site

Different from the pure perception of physical space, the author uses the perception of social space to explain another type of space, i.e. symbolic space. The author supposes that in the history, human beings have had a lot of ways to design space, but the most popular way with a lot of significant implications, covering both the depth and breadth of the matter is to design symbolic space. A symbol is created from intellectual matter; the symbol itself is an intellectual type, but it is unseparated intellectual type. The most amazing attribute of symbol is an ability to control a theme, though it is an individual or a community. This means that human beings have never known a space without social characteristics, and therefore a social space also means a symbolic space. The perception of a symbolic space is used to explain burial rite at Con Co Ngua site of the Da But culture. With the assumption approach, the author compares the symbolic space of Con Co Ngua inhabitants to other spacial elements, including their physical space to explain the significance in their spacial perception. Apart from that, social norms, social status and social ethics are also considered to be social spacial elements and at the same time are used to be a comparative system to explain the cultural significance of the people there.

Hung Yen stelea, invaluable historical source

Most of Hung Yen stelea in the warehouse of the Institute of Han Nom Studies were collected by l'Ecole Francaise d'Extreme - Orient before 1945 and additional found by the Institute of Han - Nom Studies in the recent years. There are 768 Hung Yen stele in total, of which 22 were from Hung Yen town, the rest are 59, 97, 95, 176, 274 and 84 from the districts of Kim Dong, Phu Cu, Tien Lu, Van Lam, Yen My, An Thi respectively. Hung Yen stelea dated back from Ly to Nguyen periods. The 2 Ly period stelea were found at Yen My, including one from Dien Phuc pagoda (Tan Viet commune), built in 1157, and the other from Chuc Thanh Bao An pagoda (Nghia Hiep commune). A Tran period stele is from Dai Bi pagoda (Yen My district), built in 1327. An early Le period stele is from Hoa Lac pagoda (Van Lam district), built in 1505. There are 17 stelea from Mac period. The rest belong to Le-Trinh, Tay Son and Nguyen periods. Most of Hung Yen stelea are attached to religious sites in villages and communes, of which the majority are Buddhist pagodas, the other are those from communal houses, temples and shrines, temples of Confucius. Besides, there are some others from family temples, at tombs of officials, aristocratic class and other public constructions such as bridges, canals/sewers and berths. Hung Yen stelea are invaluable data, directly reflecting the history as well as the activities of Viet communities through periods. These historical sources play an important role in the studies and conservation of the relic sites, at the same time contribute to the research into the cultural, religious, economic and social life as well as the development of the historical Hung Yen land.

Suoi Linh through 2nd excavation season

The archaeological site Suoi Linh is located at the 2nd village, the 3rd hamlet, Tri An commune, Vinh Cuu district, Dong Nai province. The site was discovered and first excavated in 1985. In 1997, 1999 and 2000, it was continually investigated and testdug. In 2002, the Institute of Archaeology in coorperation with the provincial Museum of Dong Nai carried out the 2nd excavation. The excavated results show that: - Suoi Linh is a workshop-site, dating from 3,500-2,500 BP; Apart from agriculture, mountainous farming, there were handicrafts for making stone objects and ceramics and possibly the carpentry had appeared and highly developed there; - The ancient inhabitants at Suoi Linh had a fairly spiritual life embodied in the decorative patterns on the ceramics, in many stone ornaments and fine, sophisticated ceramics; - Being a workshop for stone and ceramic manufacture, Suoi Linh inhabitants exchanged their products for others serving their daily life; - Contemporary Suoi Linh community certainly had labour divisions between agriculture and other handicrafts, showing that their society began to be divided; - The owners of Suoi Linh site were indigenous, like those of any other Metal Age sites in the basin of Dong Nai-Eastern area of the South. In the historical evolution, with other inhabitant groups, they developed to the other later civilizations in this area.

Vat Phu - World cultural heritage

The world cultural heritage, Vat Phu is located along Phu Khao mountain side and Champasak plain, on the left side of Mekong River, Champasak province, about 500km Southeast away from Vien Chan city. Vat Phu area with 7 sites were built in the land form from the West to the East, including Phu Khao mountain, Vat Phu temple, Hong Nang Sida area (Southern Vat Phu with the ancient path), the relic sites along the east side of Phu Khao mountain, the ancient city, in Champasak plain and Torno temple. The site area has been studied since 1867. It has been continuously assisted by UNESCO, UNDP, Italian, Japanese, French and British governments in the studies, reconstruction and conservation. In the investigation and study process, many ancient architectures, settlements, vestiges of canals, paths and the areas for exploiting stones have been found. The study results show that Vat Phu is an architectural complex representing the Khmer art works from pre-Angkor and Angkor, which was started to be built in the 5th century and existed until the 11 th - 12th centuries. This complex is a harmonious and sophisticated combination between nature and culture, not only serving the daily life but also having the symbolic signification of the governors' look into the universe. Therefore, Vat Phu is a propitious location from all aspects of geography, environment, spirit and other economic, social and cultural activities.