Residents of Sa Huynh 'trade' gold in Lai Nghi.

The gold earrings and gold beads from Lai Nghi show that the Sa Huynh people had skilled craftsmen who knew how to replicate imported artifacts.

Rich and poor graves in Lai Nghi

The Lai Nghi gold jewelry set, belonging to the Sa Huynh culture, was discovered by Vietnamese and German archaeologists during a joint excavation in 2002-2004. The set consists of 108 artifacts, including 4 earrings and 104 gold beads.

These exquisite gold beads are crafted on-site.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

The Lai Nghi excavations from 2002 to 2004 also yielded several "records." Firstly, according to Mr. Nguyen Chieu (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi ), the gold earrings found at Lai Nghi can be considered the first gold earrings discovered in the Sa Huynh culture. Secondly, Dr. Andreas Reinecke (head of the German expert team) stated that Lai Nghi is the site with the largest number of gold beads discovered among Sa Huynh relics in Vietnam.

It should also be added that, through three excavation campaigns by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the total amount of jewelry buried in the Lai Nghi burial sites was enormous and diverse. This included three-pronged earrings, ring-shaped stone earrings, gold earrings, gold and gold-plated glass beads, and tens of thousands of glass beads. In fact, it can be said that no other site in the Sa Huynh culture system has such a large quantity of jewelry as the Lai Nghi jar burial site.

A study published by the National Museum of History reveals that the Lai Nghi tombs, along with the burial jewelry, show a clear differentiation between rich and poor. Accordingly, poor tombs contained almost no metal, stone, or glass burial artifacts, only pottery fragments. Other tombs contained both metal burial artifacts and stone or glass jewelry. Tombs containing gold artifacts are considered to be those of very wealthy individuals, while those with metal burial artifacts and stone or glass jewelry are considered to be those of wealthy individuals. Thus, the national treasure of gold jewelry found at Lai Nghi were all discovered in tombs considered to be of very wealthy status.

According to research by the National Museum of History, the Lai Nghi burial ground belonged to a wealthy community, whose accumulated wealth likely came largely from local and inter-regional trade. "In Lai Nghi, there are tombs where the quantity and types of jewelry found in just one tomb far exceed the jewelry discovered in all the tombs of an entire cemetery," the research states.

The treasure record also states: "The earrings at Lai Nghi represent a wealthy minority, high-ranking warriors, monks or royalty, chieftains, merchants, wealthy and high-status adults in contemporary society…".

Import and export of gold jewelry in Sa Huynh?

German and Vietnamese archaeologists believe that the Lai Nghi gold earrings were made by different craftsmen belonging to two different crafting traditions. Accordingly, the locally made earrings copied the imported earrings.

Gold earrings are a sign of the owner's wealth.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Meanwhile, the gold-plated beads were entirely manufactured locally. This was discovered thanks to the beads that were damaged and unable to be threaded through. Analysis of the beads also revealed that they were made of alluvial gold, produced on the same production line. This also suggests that the gold beads may have been mined and crafted locally by the Sa Huynh inhabitants. This is quite consistent with the fact that the former Quang Nam region had gold mines such as Bong Mieu, Pu Nep, and many other places with alluvial gold deposits.

The national treasure dossier on Lai Nghi gold jewelry mentions the results of comparative research on gold artifacts found in the Lai Nghi burial site with those in Southeast Asia. Archaeologists also compared this jewelry set with artifacts from burial sites in Europe and Afghanistan. The results show that this type of gold artifact is distributed from Europe to Southeast Asia, and the manufacturing techniques also originate from West to Southeast Asia. No similar artifacts have been found in China or India.

Therefore, according to the treasure records: "It can be seen that the Sa Huynh people had skilled craftsmen who specialized in handicrafts and, to some extent, they knew how to keep up with the world's jewelry production standards to smelt and craft gold jewelry that mimicked imported artifacts." This also shows the strong exchange of gold jewelry products between Southeast Asia and the world.

Therefore, the collection of gold jewelry at the Lai Nghi burial site is a rare historical document, not only reflecting the process of cultural exchange but also the cultural and historical achievements of the Sa Huynh culture inhabitants in their labor, construction, and development in this land. The gold jewelry at the Lai Nghi site contributes to proving the pivotal role of the Sa Huynh people in the long-distance trade network. They not only exchanged raw materials but were also skilled traders and among the wealthiest consumers in the trade network across the East Sea. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cu-dan-sa-huynh-buon-vang-lai-nghi-185250710201354144.htm