LATE NEOLITHIC/EARLY METAL AGE SITES IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS

(TAY NGUYEN) OF VIETNAM

Tran Qui Thinh

Institute of Archaeology, 61 Phan Chu Trinh, Hanoi, Vietnam.

ABSTRACT
To date, Vietnamese archaeologists have identified 60
archaeological sites in the Central Highlands of Vietnam,
an area known as Tay Nguyen. These prehistoric sites
date from the Late Neolithic through to the Early Metal
Period. This paper describes some of the cultural
materials recovered during recent excavations of several
Tay Nguyen sites, and the insights they provide into the
interaction that took place in this strategic part of
Vietnam in the prehistoric period.

THE TAY NGUYEN PLATEAU

Tay Nguyen is a large plateau, in the central part of
southern Vietnam, that covers an area of 65,000 sq. km,
equivalent to the provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dac Lac
and Lam Dong. The plateau is characterized by valleys
and plains with mountain ranges surrounding them. To
the north, the plains are bordered by Quang Nam
Province; to the south by eastern Nam Bo; to the west by
Laos and Cambodia; and to the east by the coastal plains
of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh
Hoa and Ninh Hoa. The distance from east to west across
the plateau is 150 km, and from north to south more than
450 km.
To date, more than 60 archaeological sites have been
identified on the Tay Nguyen Plateau (Figure 1).
Research began in the 19th century when two French
priests (Fr. Pierey and Fr. Guerlach) discovered some
Figure 1. Archaeological sites on the Tay Nguyen plateau
stone axes and adzes while proselytizing in the area. The
French linguist, La Font, also recovered a few artefacts in
Plei Ku Province (now Gia Lai Province) when have been identified in the region. These achievements
researching and editing his French-Bahar and French- were closely connected with the survey of the hydro-
Jarai Dictionaries. Condominas (1952) also found 11 electric lake area of Yaly conducted by the Vietnam
stone artefacts in Ndut Lieng Krak (now Dac Lac Institute of Archaeology and Gia Lai and Kon Tum
Province) which he classified as stone musical provincial museums. The state project, Tay Nguyen
instruments (lithophones). These were taken to France for Archaeology, has been undertaken by the Vietnam
study and display. Although archaeological research was Institute of Archaeology.
curtailed during the Vietnam-American War, a number of For previous research in the Tay Nguyen region, see
prehistoric sites were discovered and surveyed in this Ha 1985; Le et al. 1991; Tran 1999; Vu et al. 1993, 1995;
period. Five of these were investigated by archaeologists Vu 1994).
from the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology between 1973
and 1974. Since 1975, many more archaeological sites

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LATE NEOLITHIC – EARLY METAL AGE SITES sharply shouldered (Figure 3). The former have evenly
Altogether, 60 archaeological sites belonging to the Late curved backs and sloping shoulders. Ground and centrally
Neolithic have been discovered on the Tay Nguyen Plain perforated round pebbles also make an appearance, along
(Table 1). with grinding stones made from opal.

Table 1. Numbers and location of sites on the Tay Nguyen Plain.

Geographical zone Number of sites

Lowlands of Kontum 7
Lowlands of An Khe 2
Highlands of Plei Ku 27
Highlands of Ban Me Thuot 7
Yasup Plain 1
Highlands of Dac Nong 11
Lowlands of Krong Pach-Lac 5

Only five of the archaeological sites identified have

been excavated thus far. These are Lung Leng, in the
lowlands of Kontum, Bien Ho and Tra Dom in the
highlands of Plei Ku, Buon Triet in the lowlands of Krong
Pach-Lac, and Doi Nghia Trang in the highlands of Dac
Nong. The majority (45 sites) of these Neolithic/Metal
Age sites are located in the highlands. The remainder (15
sites) are located in the lowland or plains regions.
Of the 60 sites from the Late Neolithic/ Early Metal
Age, five are burial sites, 52 are habitation sites and the
remaining three are stone manufacturing workshops. This
indicates that most of the prehistoric sites of Tay Nguyen Figure 2. Buffalo-tooth shaped adzes from Lung Leng, Kontum
were settlements. Excavations and test-diggings of these Province
settlement sites have produced thin cultural layers with
very few traces of ash and no clear traces of habitation.
Settlement is only indicated by the darker cultural layer,
which contains stone tools and pottery. Stone flakes have
also been found in many places, often with one polished
side flaked off during the process of retouching polished
axes/adzes. All sites contained grinding stones.
So far, archaeologists investigating Neolithic/ Early
Metal Age sites in Tay Nguyen have identified two major
cultural areas. One is confined to the north; the second
confined to the south.

NORTHERN TAY NGUYEN

Northern Tay Nguyen covers the provinces of Gia Lai and
Kon Tum. The research shows that the inhabitants of
northern Tay Nguyen used a wide range of rocks to
manufacture their stone tools during the Neolithic and
metal periods. The rocks used by these groups included
phtanite, silica, opal, basalt and sandstone, with different
types of artefacts manufactured from different materials.
For example, every buffalo-tooth shaped adze (slightly
shouldered, with rectangular to plano-convex cross-
section – see Figure 2) was manufactured from phtanite,
and none were manufactured from opal or basalt.
Conversely, basalt was primarily used to manufacture
untanged axes with quadrangular cross-sections. Most of
the shouldered adzes were made from phtanite, with a few
of opal but none of basalt. The many stone hoes are of
two main types: buffalo-tooth shaped (of phthanite) and Figure 3. Shouldered adzes/hoes from Lung Leng, Kontum
Province

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Most of the pottery from northern Tay Nguyen is All of the excavations, surveys and analyses have led
coarse red, with sand and plant fibre temper. Red pottery to the conclusion that a second prehistoric culture, known
makes up 74.06% of the pottery from Bien Ho, 42.39% as Buon Triet or Ho Lac, existed in southern Tay Nguyen.
from Tra Rom, and 50% from Lung Leng. A smaller The culture is named after the site of Buon Triet, which
percentage is coarse grey pottery: 12.68% of the pottery lies near Lac Lake. Sites belonging to the Buon Triet
from Bien Ho, 15.18% from Tra Rom and 20% from culture have been identified on the Dac Nong Plateau at Ia
Lung Leng. While black pottery has been found, it is rare. Sup and Krok Pach, in the Lac lowlands, and in the
Some of the pottery is decorated with fine cord-marks; highlands of Buon Me Thuot
some is comb-incised. Other sherds are decorated with
parallel incised bands infilled with short lines and rows of DISCUSSION
small dots, square or lozenge shaped holes, and small Investigations have revealed that there were two stages in
stamped circles and semi-circles arranged in horizontal or the Late Neolithic/early Metal Age period in both the
vertical lines. northern and southern parts of Tay Nguyen. The early
Archaeologists have identified two main types of Neolithic is characterized by sites with small
burial in northern Tay Nguyen: large jar burials, and quadrangular-sectioned axes/adzes, sometimes slightly
smaller jars buried mouth-to-mouth. The large jars have shouldered, and coarse cord-marked pottery.
plant fibre tempers. A number of artefacts were found Occasionally, appliqué and dot designs are found. There
inside these burial jars, including buffalo-tooth shaped is an absence of large hoes and bronze casting moulds.
adzes and nephrite beads. Plain offerring vesels were was While small mouth-to mouth burials jars have been
also present in some jars. unearthed, large burial jars do not occur in the early stage,
Based on the excavations, surveys, test diggings and which is dated c.3500 – 4000 BP.
analyses, archaeologists have identified a single Late The late period is characterized by some of the same
Neolithic/early Metal Age culture in northern Tay elements of the early stage, along with large shouldered
Nguyen, which is termed the Bien Ho culture. It takes its adzes. Some sites have produced large jar burials and
name from the site of Bien Ho, located in the Plei Ku bronze casting moulds. This stage is dated between
Highlands. The Bien Ho culture is radiocarbon dated from c.3000 and 3500 BP.
21 dated samples to between 2000 and 3500 BP in the site There are firm correlations between the archaeological
of Lung Leng. sites belonging to the Late Neolithic/Early Metal Period
in the northern and southern areas of Tay Nguyen. There
SOUTHERN TAY NGUYEN are also firm correlations between these archaeological
The southern Tay Nguyen extends across the provinces of sites and sites in other regions, such as coastal Trung Bo
Dac Lac and Lam Dong. As with northern Tay Nguyen, and eastern Nam Bo. The sites from the earliest period are
the southern sites span the Late Neolithic through to the clearly related to Bau Tro sites in Quang Binh Province.
early Metal Age. The archaeological sites in the southern In contrast, the sites from the late period are related to
region are located near waterways, either large lakes, sites in eastern Nam Bo, such as Can Sat, Ben Do, Doc
rivers or streams. All of these rivers, Ia H’Leo, Ia Sup, Chua, Cai Van and Cai Lang.
Krong No and Krong Ana, flow into Cambodia. Our research has shown the cultural diversity of the
The cultural layers of the archaeological sites in prehistoric groups who occupied the Tay Nguyen plateau
southern Tay Nguyen are also thin, comprised of red in the prehistoric period. The research has also shown
basaltic soil, stone tools and pottery. The stone tools in relationships between these groups and others in the
these assemblages are made from the same types of rocks coastal parts of Trung Bo, eastern Nam Bo, as well as
found in the north, but there are some regional Laos and Cambodia. The research also suggests that the
differences. In the south, the most commonly used Late Neolithic/Early Metal Period inhabitants of the Tay
materials for tool manufacturing were basalt and Nguyen plateau played an important role in the formation
quartzite. Opal and phtanite are rarely seen and nephrite is of the Sa Huynh culture and the development of the Early
completely absent. Whereas shouldered axes and adzes Iron Age in Trung Bo.
outnumber untanged axes and adzes in the north, the
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