During this third excavation, archaeologists discovered several new points compared to the previous two excavations, including the first-time finding of spindle whorls in the cultural layer. Additionally, numerous pieces of unfinished and finished stone jewelry have emerged, suggesting the potential for jewelry production at Thac Hai.
On September 13, a conference was held at the Dak Lak Museum to present preliminary results from the Thac Hai archaeological site excavation, third phase, in 2024.
Conference presenting preliminary results of the Thac Hai archaeological site excavation, third phase, 2024.
The Thac Hai archaeological site, located in Village 6 (Ia Jlơi Commune, Ea Sup District, Dak Lak Province), has been excavated by the Dak Lak Museum in collaboration with the National Museum of History in 2021 and 2022.
Many valuable and unique artifacts were collected, marking the first discovery in the Central Highlands. Among these is the “Thac Hai stone drill bit collection”, which has been recognized by the Prime Minister as the first national treasure of Dak Lak Province.
Delegates visiting and learning about artifacts.
The Dak Lak Museum will continue the third excavation from June 26 to July 28, 2024, covering an excavation area of 20m2. A cultural layer approximately 2 meters thick has been identified here, containing burial remains and numerous artifacts, including grinding stones, axes, and chisels. Notably, over 100 beads made from stone, glass, and ceramics were recovered through sifting, along with more than 1,000 drill bits and raw materials made from various stones such as opal, jasper, silic, and phtanite, as well as tens of thousands of flake debris.
The distinctive feature of the drill bits is that they are well-polished and mostly unused; the ceramic artifacts are quite diverse, including various types of jars, pots, and bowls in different sizes.
This third excavation has revealed several new findings compared to the previous two excavations.
To date, Thac Hai is the archaeological site with the thickest cultural layer in Dak Lak specifically and the Central Highlands generally, indicating a long and continuous habitation over more than 1,000 years. It is also considered the only stone drill bit manufacturing workshop in the Central Highlands to date.
The results of this third excavation, combined with the radiocarbon dating analysis from the first excavation, indicate that the Thac Hai site dates back approximately 4,000 to 2,000 years ago, with two different developmental phases.
During the excavation process, the team surveyed several sites around the Thac Hai area and along both banks of the Ea H’leo River within a radius of up to 10 kilometers.
Artifacts found during the third excavation.
Overall, the Thac Hai site appears to be a complex site that serves as a residential area, a burial ground, and a large-scale stone drill bit manufacturing workshop.
It can initially be seen that the Thac Hai site has close ties to archaeological cultures in the Central Highlands, such as Bien Ho in Gia Lai Province and Lung Leng, Plei Krong in Kon Tum Province.
At the conference, Mr. Dinh Mot, Director of the Dak Lak Museum, stated that the Thac Hai archaeological site was discovered by the Dak Lak Museum in 2020, yielding several stone artifacts: axes, chisels, grinding stones, and spindle whorls. Subsequently, the Dak Lak Museum collaborated with the National Museum of History to excavate this site in 2021 and 2022.
It can be said that the potential for archaeological heritage in Dak Lak is quite significant, with over 50 prehistoric archaeological sites, including 7 sites that have been excavated and dozens of sites surveyed, yielding thousands of tools, jewelry, and household items made of stone, bronze, and ceramics from ancient residents dating from 2,500 to 4,500 years ago.
In recent years, the Dak Lak Museum has actively collaborated with research agencies such as the Vietnam Archaeological Institute, the Central Highlands Institute of Social Sciences, and the National Museum of History to study the archaeological potential in the province.
