The Vietnam National Museum of History held a ceremony on November 18 to mark the return of 10 artifacts from the US, the earliest of which dates back to the Dong Son civilisation which inhabited the nation from 1,000 BC to the first century AD.
Pam DeVolder, public affairs counselor, (second from right) hands over artefacts to Nguyen Van Doan, director of the Vietnam National Museum of History.
The returned items include a vase, one stone axe, three stone statues, and five bronze pieces, all of which were rediscovered during an archaeological operation from 2013 to 2014.
They are among more than 7,000 artifacts illegally held by Donald Miller, an American citizen. Miller before death handed over the artefacts to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s cultural and art crime investigation team, wishing to return them to rightful owners.
The stone axe dates back to the Late Neolithic period from 6,400 BC to 3,500 BC.
The ceramic vase and three bronze axes belong to the Dong Son culture from 1,000 BC to the first century AD.
A bronze axe from the Dong Son culture.
The two bronze pipes were produced in the 17th and 18th centuries.
The three stone crocodile statues were made in the first and second centuries AD.
Addressing the ceremony, DeVolder stresses that the US Government will continue to support Vietnam in the investigation, research, and return of illegally-traded antiquities to their rightful countries.
Vietnamnet.vn
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