Archaeologists recently uncovered nine ancient human skeletons at the Quỳnh Văn archaeological site in Quỳnh Lưu district, Nghệ An province in Vietnam. The remains were found buried in a knee-flexed position, a characteristic burial practice of the Quỳnh Văn culture.
The skeletons were found approximately three meters below ground level, densely distributed about 50 centimeters apart. Some graves were overlapped, with up to three sets of remains stacked atop one another, separated by thin layers of soil and surrounded by layers of mollusk shells. Notably, some graves contained jewelry made from shells and sea snail shells, indicating that the inhabitants possessed craftsmanship skills and held beliefs regarding burial practices.
After more than a month of excavation, archaeologists explored two pits with a combined area of 18 square meters. The team found stone axes, flakes, grinding stones, hearths, and animal bone fragments.
Artifacts and skeletons from the excavation will be sent for radiocarbon dating (C-14) to determine their age and to facilitate an in-depth study of the Quỳnh Văn culture. The results are expected to be announced in the near future.
The excavation is a collaborative effort involving the Nghệ An Museum, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, and international experts from the School of Archaeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University. The Nghệ An Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has indicated that authorities are continuing excavations at the site, with ongoing work by the Nghệ An Museum and related units.
The Quỳnh Văn culture is a typical prehistoric coastal culture dating back approximately 3,500 to 5,500 years. According to the Nghệ An Museum, it belongs to the late Neolithic period, dating from about 6,000 to 4,000 years ago. The culture is characterized by shell mound sites with thicknesses of five to six meters, located about one to ten kilometers from the sea.
Since the 1930s, the Quỳnh Văn area was recognized as an important archaeological site. French archaeologist Madeleine Colani first discovered scallop shell mound sites in the Cầu Giát area, which are considered habitation relics of the Quỳnh Văn, Bàu Tró, and Thạch Lạc cultures. In 1963, archaeologist Phan Ngọc Liễn discovered stone and bone artifacts in Quỳnh Văn commune, leading to large-scale excavations by the Vietnam Archaeology Institute from 1963 to 1964. During these excavations, five additional shell mound sites around the Quỳnh Văn relic were discovered.
To date, 21 sites associated with the Quỳnh Văn culture have been identified. These sites are distributed in a narrow area, according to two different topographical groups: the western and eastern plains of Quỳnh Lưu district. The area is a narrow plain bordered by low mountain ranges on one side and the East Sea on the other. Excavations have revealed traces of ancient human activity, including hearths, pits, graves, human remains, stone tools, bone tools, coarse pottery, and mollusk shells.
Some of the stone tool artifacts belonging to the Quỳnh Văn culture are preserved at the Nghệ An Museum.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
