Ancient boat in Bac Ninh: Not a sunken boat but an abandoned one

There are many reasons why many people hope that the ancient boat in Bac Ninh is a Ly Dynasty boat. That is the opinion of Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Minh Tri (Institute of Archaeology) after coming to the place to learn about the boat. He said that many people will ask whether it is a boat associated with the ancient Dau River, associated with the ancient citadel of Luy Lau or not. "The famous Dau River connects the Thien Duc River, the Red River, Luc Dau River, and then out to the sea. In the past, since the Han Dynasty, Indian boats followed that river to Luy Lau to worship Si Nhiep like that," Associate Professor, Dr. Tri said.

Many people hope this will be a Ly dynasty boat.

PHOTO: PHAM TRIEU

Associate Professor Dr. Tri assessed that the ancient boat in Bac Ninh is a wooden boat with a special construction technique different from the period from the 15th century onwards. "The boat is made of wooden bars joined together, using wooden nails to build the boat, not iron nails. Iron nails appeared late, from the 15th century onwards," Associate Professor Dr. Tri said.

Mr. Tri also highly appreciated the ancient boat in Bac Ninh because this is the first double-hulled boat in Vietnam to be found. Previously, single-hulled boats and small-scale sailing boats from Dong Son to the recent period have also been found. "So this double-hulled boat is very valuable for research, especially comparative research," Associate Professor Tri said.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tri, the double-hulled boat is not only found in Vietnam but is also popular in the Asia-Pacific region and major Asian civilizations. "On it there can be a floor, even floors and houses for transportation. This boat can travel like that. That is a great value, suggesting the history of Vietnamese boats," said Mr. Tri.

Boat building techniques are attracting archaeologists

PHOTO PHAM TRIEU

Ancient boat in Bac Ninh did not sink

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tri, while studying C14 (analyzed by the radioactive isotope carbon-14 method) and waiting for the results, it is also necessary to study artifacts related to the boat. This boat is currently assessed to have few artifacts. According to Mr. Tri, the reason why the ancient boat of Bac Ninh has few artifacts is because it is not a sunken boat. "The boat is an abandoned boat. This boat was used in some way, then built there and abandoned. When abandoned, the upper part was removed," Mr. Tri analyzed.

There are very few artifacts on ancient boats in Bac Ninh.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

According to Associate Professor Dr. Tri, through determining the stratigraphy and water sedimentation, it can be seen that the boat was located in an area of ​​not too deep water. Therefore, the remains of dry trees, seeds, etc. were deposited at the bottom of the boat. "It is necessary to study and decipher the location of the abandoned boat with the surrounding land, related to a certain residential space...", Associate Professor Dr. Tri said.

It is expected that by mid-April, there will be results of C14 dating of the ancient boat in Bac Ninh.

The ancient boat in Bac Ninh is a unique discovery so far, both boat bodies have a strange structure with a solid structure that can withstand force and water well. In particular, the two ancient boat bodies in Bac Ninh are very firmly connected by a wooden bar at the head of the boat. It was this connection that suggested to Dr. Pham Van Trieu (Institute of Archaeology), the person in charge of the excavation, that they were two parts of a double-bottomed boat.

Previously, an ancient boat in Bac Ninh was discovered in Cong Ha quarter (Ha Man ward, Thuan Thanh town, Bac Ninh province) when Mr. Nguyen Van Chien hired an excavator to dig a pond to prepare for releasing tilapia. People also flocked to see the boat with their own eyes. Mr. Chien himself also wanted to determine the age of this boat, then turn it into a cultural relic.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thuyen-co-o-bac-ninh-khong-phai-thuyen-dam-ma-bi-bo-lai-185250328113225087.htm