Relics Beneath Ricefields

A cluster of ancient artifacts, seemingly spanning several eras, has been discovered beneath rice terraces in the mountainous border commune of Son Kim 2 in Ha Tinh Province, Vietnam. The finds were first noticed by local farmers while working in the fields, and then specialists from the Ha Tinh Museum visited the site and documented a series of artifacts. According to preliminary estimates, this may be an area where people lived and worked for millennia, leaving traces of their crafts, daily life, and beliefs, according to the Ha Tinh Museum.

The excavations were conducted in the Lang Che area, a plot of terraced farmland that, according to the researchers, covers approximately one hectare. The finds themselves were diverse: bronze bells, stone chisels, stone axes and pestles, millstones, ceramic bowls, fragments of crude household utensils, as well as iron swords and blades. Such a "mix" usually suggests not a single, random episode, but a multi-layered past, with the same site being used differently by different generations.

Archaeologists particularly highlight ceramics from the Chang Dynasty (1225-1400): such items are valuable not only in themselves, but also as markers of connections between mountain settlements and medieval centres where trade and crafts developed. Ha Tinh is situated at the junction of plains and mountains, and it borders Laos. Consequently, the western regions have historically been perceived as a corridor of exchange for goods, technologies, and cultural practices. 

The finds at Lang Che fit this logic well: stone tools refer to the early stages of development of the mountain valleys, while bronze and iron tools represent later technological transitions, when economic practices and social organization changed. Hundreds of ceramic fragments, including celadon and coarse pottery, were discovered near the ruins of the Son Thanh sanctuary, a site associated with the veneration of ancestors and natural forces. This proximity typically indicates that this was not a "random camp," but a space with a clearly defined structure: everyday life, production, and ritual practices. 

Researchers note the diversity of materials—from stone and bronze to iron and glazed ceramics. This suggests a history of continuity: communities may have changed tools and habits, but remained in the same landscape, adapting to mountain agriculture, forest resources, and routes through mountain passes. In such a place, careful recording of layers is especially important because stratigraphy often answers the question of what came first and what came later. Typically, unusual shapes, traces of handwork, unusual metal, or ceramics with a distinctive glaze raise red flags. 

However, only a specialist can make a definitive determination after documenting the context. Ritual sites were often adjacent to residential areas: it was important for people to have a space nearby for rituals, worship of ancestors and "spirits of the land," especially in mountainous landscapes.

What is more important for archaeologists: the object itself or the place where it was found? Context is almost always more important. Without understanding the layer and the surrounding environment, a find loses some of its meaning: it's more difficult to date, connect it to everyday life, and reconstruct the settlement's history.

- Pravda.ru.