Ancient Vietnamese Dong Son drum found in Timor Leste

An ancient Vietnamese drum that reportedly dates back over 2,000 years has been discovered in Timor Leste, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said Wednesday on its website.

The relatively intact bronze drum, 1.03m in diameter, 78cm in height, and 80kg in weight, was found by chance at a construction site in Baucau, the second-largest city of Timor Leste, in late 2014.

However, the official information was only released in late November this year, after researchers and archeologists had conducted preliminary assessment. 

Nuno Vasco Oliveira, an archeologist from the Timor Lester government’s General Directorate of Art and Culture, confirmed that the object is a Dong Son drum, a symbol of the Dong Son culture of the ancient Vietnamese people.

This is not the first time a Dong Son drum has been found in Timor Leste. However, those drums were seriously damaged.

The newly discovered artifact is in a relatively good condition, and is the most intact object of its kind to be found in Southeast Asia so far, Oliveira said.

The drum, which is being kept by the General Directorate, is decorated with the sculptures of four frogs and a twelve-pointed star on its surface.

Dong Son drums are usually large and have well-proportioned shapes, reflecting the skills and aesthetics of the ancient Vietnamese people.

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