Archaeology UK - Dong Son Gallery

The Dong Son Culture

The Dong Son culture, centered on the Red River delta south of Hanoi in north Vietnam, lasted from 600BC - 100AD. It was a period when complicated bronzes were made and traded throughout Island Southeast Asia, even to islands off the south coast of Papua New Guinea!

As they didn't leave any written records, not much is known about the Dong Son peoples, except that they were agriculturists, some of whom were able to organise themselves into bronze-making workshops that produced aesthetically-pleasing bronzes of great complexity (including drums, oil-lamps, axe-heads...etc). Most Dong Son bronzes were found in burials, where they probably served as grave-goods to accompany the deceased to the afterlife.

Danny Tan, Assistant Curator, Asian Civilisations Museums, 51 Armenian St, Singapore

Photos of Dong Son Artefacts

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Ancient Face Mask   


Bronze Dish with Deer   


Bronze Female Statuette   


12th Century gold Statuette   


"King" Lamp"   


12th Century Knife handle   


Erotic Male Statuette   


Statuette with Snake   


Syiwa stone head    


Two terracotta heads   


Terracotta head   


Decorated bronze bowl   


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