Đông Sơn cultural sites in Hòa Bình province

Abstract

Based on the study of Đông Sơn cultural sites found in Hòa Bình from 1887 to 2024, this paper presents the characteristics of the distribution and type of sites and artifacts. In the Đông Sơn cultural period, Hòa Bình has the common characteristics of Đông Sơn cultural sites in the northern mountainous such as scattered sites; mainly discovered along streams and rivers; artifacts are mainly bronze in which the production tools, weapons and musical instruments are the largest in number. However, in this period, Hòa Bình has its own characteristics, that is the appearance of types of artifacts here including Red River type, Mã River type and Northern mountainous type. The appearance of Đông Son bronze drums or Heger I bronze drums with 11 drums with all groups except group D (from the earliest to the latest drums) and If comparing the number of drums with the northern mountainous provinces, the bronze drums found in Hoa Binh are remarkable in terms of quantity, group and style. Moreover, the appearance of a battle axes group decorated with patterns of deer with long horns or patterns of disguised human figures, intersecting crocodiles, these patterns are often found decorating Đông Sơn bronze drums in this area, is also a matter worth pondering. These signs show that this is a phenomenon of hiding rare objects, in cases of social instability.