Many scientific discoveries from Phan Hiep archaeological site

After more than 1 month of excavation, the Working Group opened 2 excavation pits where many ceramic pieces were discovered and 1 exploration pit with a total area of ^​​101m2 . Many artifacts appeared right on the surface, which were broken ceramic pieces and some stone pieces. When digging deeper, 2 burials were discovered.

One grave includes: a ceramic pot with a high flared mouth, buried upright; 1 small ceramic pot with a spherical body; 5 round, cylindrical orange glass beads; 4 very small, spherical reddish-brown glass beads. The second grave only has the spherical bottom of a jar, the ceramic body mixed with gravel, 1cm thick; 1 truncated cone-shaped wheel; many colorful spherical and wheel-shaped glass beads.

The excavation also yielded a variety of artifacts made of various materials, including stone, ceramic, glass, and bronze. Specifically, the stone artifacts included axes, adzes, hollow stones, pendants, and agate beads.

Pottery is the most numerous with nearly 8,000 pieces of various types of pottery, most of which are broken and peeled off due to weather effects, making it difficult to restore their original shape. These fragments are the bodies, mouths, and bases of pots, jars, vases, bowls, jars, and urns. The main patterns are brushwork, line carving, and dot printing with multi-toothed sticks.

In addition, some ceramic artifacts in intact form were also collected, including: 2 ceramic pots made of rough, gray ceramic, flared mouth, and sloping shoulders; 7 red-gray, red-brown ceramic plumb-sticks, mostly truncated cone-shaped, with small central holes and no patterns.

The glassware was quite large in quantity with 2,000 beads of various types, shapes and colors. The bronzeware was found in small pieces and some fragments that are likely small bronze bracelets.

MSc. Nguyen Manh Thang, Head of the Collection Research Department - National History Museum, commented that although the excavation was not as expected due to the incompleteness of the relic due to the impact of weather and the encroachment of antiquities hunters, the excavation has yielded valuable scientific information and collected a rich collection of artifacts.

Through this, it can be seen that Phan Hiep is a burial site of the Early Iron Age residents, possibly of the Sa Huynh residents. Considering the types of artifacts and manufacturing techniques, the Phan Hiep relic dates back to about 2300 - 2200 years ago.

Ms. Le Thi Truc Linh, Deputy Director of Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, highly appreciated the results of the excavation. At the same time, she emphasized that the excavated artifacts are no longer a matter of storage and preservation in museums but are also valuable heritages for future generations to look at, research and learn from.

The Department accepts all proposals and recommendations from the excavation team, and will especially promote the management and protection of sites and relics from the risk of encroachment due to urbanization and civil activities, as well as the hunting of antiquities, to preserve and promote their values.