An ancient tomb dating back 1,400 years has been unearthed in a field in the central province of Ha Tinh’s Nghi Xuan District, archaeologists have announced.
The arch-shaped ᴛᴏᴍʙ made of kilned bricks of different sizes was discovered at an irrigation construction site while workers were digging a canal through cultivation areas in Xuan Hong Commune last week. The discovery was immediately reported to the local heritage management unit. Initial research showed the relic is an ancient Han ᴛᴏᴍʙ built during the Chinese Sui-Tang Dynasty more than 1,400 years ago.
The ᴛᴏᴍʙ was found 2m deep underground and measured 4m in length, 1m in width, and 1.2m in height. The bricks that were used to build the ᴛᴏᴍʙ were in the form of a square box or grapefruit section usually used for building arch-shaped architectures.
The grave is located in the heart of a stream, on the flow of an irrigation canal which is under construction in Xuan Hong Commune. The construction works, unfortunately, have caused some ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ to the dome revealing part of the ᴛᴏᴍʙ , most of which was ʙᴜʀɪᴇᴅ under the soil.
Some locals in the commune said they had found similar ᴛᴏᴍʙs in their gardens or during the process of building houses. Many others said the same type of Han graves had been found in other localities in Ha Tinh. The discovery of the ancient ᴛᴏᴍʙ in Xuan Hong Commune has created favourable conditions for archaeologists to study more about the Han ᴛᴏᴍʙs in Ha Tinh.
Earlier, experts found similar ᴛᴏᴍʙs in other localities in plain areas of Ha Tinh such as Duc Tho, Can Loc, and Nghi Xuan districts. The discovery provides archaeologists more foundation for researching ancient Vietnamese burial traditions.
In 1996, a boat-shaped ᴛᴏᴍʙ made from a tree trunk dating back to the 13th century was discovered at a construction site in a mountainous area in Ha Tinh. The ᴛᴏᴍʙ was found at a depth of 3m in Ngan Truoi Hydroelectricity Plant, in Duc Dong Commune, Duc Tho District.
That was the first time such a boat-shaped ᴛᴏᴍʙ was found in a mountainous area in the province. It showed ancient Vietnamese people resided in both flat areas and mountains in early times, archaeologists said.
