Recently, the discovery of the sun chariot in the Dong Son culture was announced by us in Thanh Nien Newspaper. Now we have discovered another artifact that we believe is closely related to the above mentioned sun chariot. It is a bronze jewelry in the collection of Mr. Ut Ruong in Ho Chi Minh City. He said it was salvaged from a riverbed in Thanh Hoa province.
Front of the sun wheel
The jewelry is circular and has a hook bar, 4.3 cm in diameter. At first glance, I immediately recognized it as belonging to the Dong Son culture because inside is a circle with many rays like the sun on a bronze drum of the same period, especially on the surface of the circle there is also a pattern of branches and leaves, one of the characteristics. However, after careful examination, in addition to looking like the sun, it is also in the form of a wheel: In the middle is a bearing with 4 spokes, next is a circle with 14 rays, of which 1 ray is broken, next is the outermost circle, it is also broken off a small part. Notably, on the back there is a horizontal bar originating from the center of the bearing, it is long, leaning over the outer rim for a while and at the end there is a hook pointing inward.
Through the above description, it seems that this jewelry is similar to belt buckles of the same period that have been discovered by archaeologists, especially the belt buckle with the shape of a sun currently kept at the Musée Barbier-Mueller (Switzerland).
Back of the sun wheel
However, through comparison, there are differences in structure, such as the hooks are all facing outwards and have a head to catch on the belt, especially there is no crossbar, the hook is connected to the buckle head. Although different, it is clear that this jewelry is hooked or hung on something.
Although its function is not yet determined, the issue of interest here is that this ornament is represented with two characteristics that resemble both the sun and the wheel.
Regarding the sun, the ornaments have rays similar to the sun on bronze drums of the same period. Regarding the wheel, according to the Dictionary of World Cultural Symbols (pp. 59, 60): It is a symbol of the sun in most cultures… Many beliefs, formulas, and customs associate the wheel with the structure of myths about the sun. The symbolic meaning of the wheel comes from both its radiating layout and its movement. The radiating of the wheel makes it appear as a symbol of the sun.
Sun wheel in Indian sun temple
Dictionary of World Cultural Symbols, p.1019
In Indian scriptures and iconography, the wheel usually has 12 spokes, the number of the zodiac, the number of the solar cycle. The simplest wheel has 4 spokes: that is the expansion of the 4 directions of space. The wheel with 6 spokes brings us back to the symbol of the sun. The most common wheel always has 8 spokes: that is the 8 directions of space…
In general, the characteristics of this ornament combined with the notes in the above dictionary have allowed us to determine that it is a sun wheel. With this discovery, we will have a basis to explain the phenomenon of why the image of the sun on the entire Dong Son bronze drum is always depicted in a circle without leaving a space to represent the sky.
Dong Son belt buckle at the Barbier-Mueller Museum
Next is the chrysanthemum on a bronze axe, also surrounded by a circle. Perhaps it is both the sun and the wheel, and the chrysanthemum is similar. In addition, it is necessary to mention the leaf and branch patterns that the Dong Son artisans applied to this jewelry.
This indicates a close relationship between the sun and a sacred plant revered by contemporary society. Thus, the discovery of the sun wheel and the sun chariot shows that the concept of sun worship in the Dong Son culture was very rich, but also not outside of endogenous and exogenous factors.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giai-ma-van-hoa-dong-son-bi-an-co-xe-mat-troi-185240630224150095.htm
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