Recently, during land leveling and the construction of a embankment, Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Huệ’s family in Lưỡng Kỳ village, Thống Nhất commune, Hạ Long city, discovered a bronze drum buried more than 1 meter underground.
The bronze drum discovered in Lưỡng Kỳ village, Thống Nhất commune, Hạ Long city, is the second bronze drum found in Quảng Ninh.
The drum was uncovered on the left bank of the stream flowing through Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Huệ’s garden, beneath the surface soil, approximately 400 meters east of the national cultural heritage site Núi Mằn.
The drum measures 42 cm in height, with a diameter of 69.5 cm at the top and 66 cm at the base. When uncovered, the drum was found lying on its back, within a dark gray soil layer, with no other artifacts surrounding or inside it. The drum’s surface is mostly intact, featuring six frog figures; three are single frogs, and three are frogs in a mating position. The drum’s rim is broken, with about two-thirds of its surface remaining.
The surface of the drum is mostly intact, featuring 6 frog figures, including 3 mating frogs.
The rim of the drum has about two-thirds of its surface remaining.
After the artifact was uncovered, Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Huệ’s family reported it to the Thống Nhất commune authorities and the Quảng Ninh Museum. Based on research and expert consultations, the Quảng Ninh Museum initially identified the drum discovered in Lưỡng Kỳ as a Type II Bronze Drum (H2) in Heger’s classification system, dating back to approximately the 14th to 15th century. This type of drum was typically used in rituals and shares many similarities with the drums of the Mường people in Hòa Bình.
The area where the bronze drum was uncovered, on the left bank of the stream flowing through Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Huệ’s garden, is about 400 meters east of the national cultural heritage site Núi Mằn.
As of now, this is the second bronze drum discovered in Quảng Ninh, following the Quảng Chính Bronze Drum found in 1981 in Hải Hà district, which has been recognized as a National Treasure.
The drum is currently being preserved at the Quảng Ninh Museum in accordance with regulations, undergoing preliminary conservation, and proposals for research directions to determine its value and promote it in the near future.
