VietNamNet Bridge – The remains of at least four 800-year-old pottery kilns of the Champa culture have been unearthed by experts of the museum of Binh Dinh Province in central Vietnam at the archaeological site of Truong Cuu Hill in An Nhon Town.

They found fairly intact ceramic ovens and nearly 1,000 ceramic objects including bowls, plates, jars and tiles over a 100sq.m area. Traces of ruined ceramic ovens were found at another 50sq.m site.

Dr. Dinh Ba Hoa, the Binh Dinh Museum’s director, said these kilns were built one above another, in different layers. The archaeologists also found broken pieces of dishes, plates and jars here, mostly with monochrome and celadon glazes.

The most special items are two pieces of terracotta tiles and decorative materials used for mounting on Champa imperial palaces and temples.

Hoa said the objects bore many special features with few decorative patterns and high-skilled colour glaze techniques. Their quality was as high as that of those made by Chinese artisans of the same period.

Truong Cuu is the mound along the river bank of Con, close to the eastern wall of Cha, one of  four ancient Champa citadels in Nhon Loc commune in An Nhon town.

After many archaeological excavations, Binh Dinh Museum has recognized six pottery production centers along the river, including three in An Nhon town alone, namely Go Sanh, Cay Me and Truong Cuu.

"The discovery of pottery kilns of 800 years old in Truong Cuu contributes evidence to confirm the long tradition of pottery making of the Champa," Hoa said.

Hoa suggested local authorities protect the site for further research.

The Cham ethnic group's ancient ceramic ovens were discovered throughout the province in 1990. Since then, local scientists have co-ordinated with Japanese and Belgian experts to excavate different hills in Tay Son and An Nhon districts. 

T. Van