Bau Tro is a natural freshwater lake that not only provides fresh water for Dong Hoi City but is also a special archaeological site of the late Neolithic period.
Bau Tro archaeological site was discovered by the French and began to be researched in the early years of the 20th century.
With the unique characteristics, scale, and cultural content of the Bau, archaeologists have named the sites distributed along the coast of Nghe Tinh (Nghe An, Ha Tinh), Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue in the late Neolithic period as Bau Tro culture.
According to research documents, since ancient times, our ancestors have lived around Bau Tro and used its fresh water to live and work. Traces of their activities have gradually sunk into the sand over time.
Since its discovery, this site has undergone three explorations and two excavations. The first time was in the summer of 1919-1921, when two French correspondents from the École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Max Pirey and Herri Depiruy, discovered and collected a number of artifacts dating back to the late Neolithic period.
The second time was in 1923, Étienne Patte (French) conducted excavations and from this excavation, Bau Tro was identified as an archaeological site.
The profile of the excavation pit clearly reveals a cultural layer with many layers separated by thin layers of white sand. This proves that this was the place of residence and activities of many generations of primitive residents in the late Neolithic period.
The thickest cultural layer is 50cm, including countless shells and snails, mixed with dark black sand... In those piles of shells and snails, there are also stone tools, fragments of pottery, especially stone adzes with beveled blades.
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Not only is Bau Tro a natural freshwater lake that provides fresh water for Dong Hoi City (Quang Binh Province), it is also an archaeological site.
According to E. Patte, this type is very similar to the primitive stone tools in the southeastern region of France and the Balkan peninsula. E. Patte also found stones, tools for adjusting grinding tables, grinding tables, net weights and found 2 stone tools (the first one is made of sandstone, the second one is made of quartz). He believes that these are stones used to make tools...
In addition, E. Patte also found pieces of crude, low-fired pottery, dark gray or dull brick color, many pieces painted with ochre.
Pottery is decorated with rough rope patterns, fine rope patterns, and diagonal rope patterns. Some pieces are decorated with carved patterns, square lines, and wavy parallel lines. Some pottery pieces are colored. The types of pottery are quite diverse, including containers, cooking utensils, etc.
Notably, there are some animal bones crafted into sharp awls, with scratches on their bodies due to use. According to E. Patte: This is a site from the Neolithic period. The owners here lived on an economic basis, exploiting and collecting natural products, mainly mollusks.
The third time, in May 1974, the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology organized an investigation to explore the Bau Tro site. Based on the location of E. Patte's excavation pit in 1923, the team dug 3 exploration pits and only one pit showed a clear cultural layer. The artifacts collected included 2 axes and many pieces of gray or pink ceramic. The sand-mixed ceramic bones had rope patterns and engraved lines.
In 1978 (the 4th time), the Institute of Archaeology cooperated with the History Department of Hue University (now Hue University of Sciences) to explore Bau Tro and collected many axes, stone adzes, ochre, stone spearheads, various types of pottery pieces...
In March 1980 (the 5th time), the Faculty of History, Hue University returned to excavate Bau Tro under the direction of archaeologist Ha Van Tan (Hanoi University) with the participation of researcher Vu Cong Quy (Institute of Southeast Asia).
This time, scientists excavated on a large scale in 3 pits in the southwest of the lake, collected many stone and ceramic artifacts, found ceramic artifacts painted with lead-black color, marking the appearance of a new type of decoration, suggesting to researchers to learn about the origin of Sa Huynh culture in this area. Bau Tro pottery has large pots, round bottom, thick walls, decorated with rope patterns and small, shallow bowls and plates.
Through the excavation, the team assessed: Bau Tro is not simply a "shell pile" or "kitchen ash waste site" as E. Patte announced, but this is a relic with 2 different types of site characteristics.
One type of earthen mound site and one type of scallop mound site. This partly reflects the economic lifestyle of the primitive residents at that time.
The ancients not only relied on exploiting available food sources in nature, but they also reached a higher level, actively producing food. Documents collected about the thick cultural layer, the wide distribution of relics, the dense distribution, the rich pottery, the widespread grinding stone, the skillful manufacturing techniques... have all said that.
Bau Tro has adequate conditions to maintain a productive economy, especially wet rice agriculture. In addition to agriculture, the main economic sectors maintained here are fishing, hunting, and gathering.
Along with the progress in material life, spiritual and cultural life also changes and becomes increasingly rich and diverse.
The level of human thinking and aesthetics is quite highly developed, shown in the techniques of making stone tools, jewelry, motifs, and types of pottery. Their life is not only about making a living but also about beautifying themselves and the things around them.
To have round, graceful stone bracelets, the ancients had to know the core drilling technique in addition to the skillful grinding and sawing techniques. The small, prominently bumpy flakes created during the “tool making” process or the long, wide flakes with a flat triangular cross-section and slightly curved, curved length show the extremely precise and skillful stone carving skills of the people of that time.
Ceramic manufacturing techniques also achieved remarkable achievements, with homogeneous ceramic materials, evenly cooked ceramics, rich and diverse forms, and beautiful decorative patterns. This confirms that the ceramic craft at that time was quite developed.
Bau Tro site is closely related to Thach Lac site in particular and the late stage of Thach Lac culture in general. Moreover, Bau Tro also has a relationship with sites in coastal Quang Binh, such as: Ba Don I, Ba Don II, Bau Khe...
With its great scale and scientific significance, archaeologists have named this site after the late Neolithic culture, including sites distributed in the coastal areas of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue, Bau Tro culture, because this is the earliest site of this type of culture to be excavated and studied.
The appearance of red and black lead-colored pottery, with the popularity of curved, curved bodies and beveled blades from belly to back, provides us with valuable materials in studying the relationship between Bau Tro culture and Sa Huynh culture in the South.
Therefore, it can be said that the Bau Tro site in particular, or the Bau Tro culture distributed along the coast of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue in general, is one of the evidences of cultural exchange related to the formation and development process of the famous Sa Huynh culture later.
Bau Tro and Bau Tro relics link the past with the present, creating a complex with dense cultural imprints. It can be said that Bau Tro relics in particular and Bau Tro culture in general contribute to depicting a panoramic picture of Vietnam's prehistoric period.
Learning about Bau Tro culture is to preserve and conserve the values of the inherent cultural heritage of Dong Hoi and Quang Binh province. Therefore, this place needs to be preserved and protected so that Bau Tro cultural heritage can promote its value in the spiritual life of the people.
Le Thi Hoai Huong - Director of Quang Binh General Museum (Quang Binh Newspaper)
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