Watch Dong Son people cast bronze drums

Nishimura found blank mold fragment

The ceramic molds for casting bronze drums in the exhibition Echoes of Dong Son (from November 22, 2023 to April 2024 at the National Museum of History) remind us of the Japanese archaeologist - Dr. Nishimura Masanari. In 1998, this Japanese archaeologist accidentally discovered a drum mold at Luy Lau citadel (Bac Ninh), causing a big stir in the research community. In 2001, another drum mold was also found by Nishimura, this time in the layer of earth covering the northern outer wall of Luy Lau citadel. Before that, Luy Lau was the headquarters of Giao Chi district during the Han Dynasty, and was also the economic , cultural and religious center in the first 10 centuries AD.

Sao Vang Drum, collected in Thanh Hoa

According to the organizers of the Dong Son Echo , before and after Dr. Nishimura Masanari, there have been many archaeological excavations in Luy Lau. The Institute of Archaeology surveyed here in 1968, then conducted excavations in 1969, then conducted large-scale research in 1986. Notably, in 2014 and 2015, archaeologists from the Vietnam National Museum of History and the University of East Asia (Japan) discovered nearly a thousand pieces of bronze drum molds along with a large number of artifacts related to bronze casting activities such as bean bowls, bronze pouring pots, pot bases, furnace bottoms, furnace slag, etc. in the excavation pit strata. "This important discovery demonstrates the enduring vitality of the Dong Son culture in the flow of national history, answering questions related to the methods and techniques of casting bronze drums," the organizers said.

Bronze drum mold fragment (outer back of drum), made of terracotta, 3rd - 4th century. Excavated at Luy Lau relic, Bac Ninh

At Dong Son Echo , we can see the outer mold pieces of the drum. These are the drum face mold pieces decorated with concentric circles, tangent circles, rice flowers, short parallel lines, pins, inverted N shapes, stylized feathered human figures, and nested V patterns. Some pieces have the rim of the pattern extending to the edge decorated with rice flower patterns. The drum's body and back mold pieces have concentric circles, tangent circles, rice flowers, short parallel lines. The drum's foot mold piece has no pattern.

Bronze drum mold fragment found in Luy Lau

These blank molds are very important. They help archaeologists gradually visualize the technique of casting Dong Son bronze drums. Accordingly, the National Museum of History believes that the mold material is clay mixed with rice husks, mixed with some small gravel, fired at temperatures up to 900 degrees Celsius. The patterns are created by carving directly on the mold (sunken lines) or by printing the mold (raised lines). The technical traces left on the mold include the opening position of the pouring cup, the joint marks of the frog mold, and the handle mold. Based on the stratigraphy and accompanying artifacts, the age of the Luy Lau mold collection is determined to be between the 3rd and 6th centuries.

Dong Son bronze axe

Regarding the significance of this discovery, the National Museum of History said that bronze drums are typical relics of the Dong Son culture, which is widely distributed from the South China region (China) to mainland Southeast Asia and islands. "How the ancients were able to cast such large bronze drums with such sophisticated patterns is an unsolved mystery. In 2010 and 2011, at the Non Nong Hor relic in Mukdahan province (Thailand), a number of pieces of terracotta drum molds were discovered, however, this discovery has not been fully researched and widely announced. To date, the Luy Lau relic in Bac Ninh province is the only place in the world where a large number of pieces of bronze drum molds have been discovered," the National Museum of History announced.

In addition, the date of the mold collection is between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD, which provides a basis for reviewing the date of the Dong Son drum system in Vietnam. It can be seen that, at least until the Luc Trieu period, Dong Son drums were still cast in the central region of Bac Bo.

Recasting drums in Thanh Hoa

Information from the exhibition shows that from 1964 to 1975, the Vietnam Museum of History (now the National Museum of History) coordinated with the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts to conduct experimental casting of the Ngoc Lu bronze drum. However, all four experiments were unsuccessful. Then, in 2022, based on research on the casting mold discovered in Luy Lau, archaeologists from the National Museum of History reconstructed the shape of the drum and successfully experimentally cast it in the Che Dong bronze casting village (Thanh Hoa). Dr. Truong Dac Chien is the person in charge of this topic.

Bronze pot

According to Dr. Truong Dac Chien, previously, researchers mainly leaned towards the possibility that the bronze drum was placed upside down when pouring bronze, and the pouring hole was usually open at the foot of the drum. However, through studying the Luy Lau mold fragments, Mr. Chien and his colleagues believe that the pouring hole was placed in the middle of the central star. "Observing some bronze drums currently kept at the National Museum of History, we also saw traces of pouring holes in the middle of the drum surface, typically on the Dac Glao drum in Kon Tum or the Phu Duy drum in old Ha Tay," said Dr. Chien.

Copper hairpin

According to Dr. Chien, the results of this experimental casting activity basically met the requirements, both in terms of technique and aesthetics. In addition, the drum casting process of the ancient Vietnamese has also been identified relatively clearly. However, there are still some issues that need to be further studied, such as how to create printed patterns on the mold, how to create toad statues or how to treat the mold surface to prevent sticking...

Dr. Chien said: "With the collection of Luy Lau molds, we have been able to fundamentally answer questions related to the methods and techniques of casting Dong Son drums. Besides the great scientific and technical significance, from a historical and cultural perspective, the bronze drum molds in Luy Lau ancient citadel are also evidence of the indigenous nature of Dong Son drums in Northern Vietnam as well as the strong vitality of Dong Son culture in the flow of history."

The exhibition Echoes of Dong Son consists of 3 contents. Part 1: New collections of Dong Son culture, showing some newly excavated artifacts in the last 10 years. The National Museum of History, the National Museum of Korea, and the University of East Asia (Japan) have made many discoveries showing the distribution and combination of Dong Son culture with other cultures. Part 2: Dong Son drum molds discovered from the Luy Lau ground, showing the diversity of these mold pieces. The last part: Experimental casting of bronze drums shows the experiments of recasting Dong Son bronze drums from 1964 to the present.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/xem-nguoi-dong-son-duc-trong-dong-185231121232851956.htm