Every month curators of the Asia and Pacific Museum carefully select one object representing the second part of the permanent exhibition “Journeys to the East”, which will cover the areas of Central-East, South, South-East, East Asia and Oceania.

In August we pay particular attention to the Dong Son culture axe which is made of bronze, cast in stone form.

It’s jagged blade has a broken tip. All surface is covered with patina. On the decorated side numerous damages are visible caused by metal oxidation. No wooden handle. Artefacts of Dong Son culture come mainly from burial sites. The specificity of the northern Vietnam climate and soil composition contribute practically to the total decomposition of wooden objects.

The axes of Dong Son culture are divided into different types due to their shape and origin. The presented object is defined as the variant of “Mandarin shoe”. The heel is at a right angle, blade in a straight line at the bottom with a slightly pointed tip. Due to the origin of this type of axes, we are talking about the style of the Red River. The sleeve in the cross section is oval, empty inside to insert a handle (dimensions 3.5×1.5 cm) without decoration. The central part of the blade has relief with one-sided decoration. Frame following the shape of the blade is decorated with a zigzag meander. Inside the frame, we find a representation of two deers standing one after the other directed towards the tip of the blade. The animals are shown in profile. Just under the sleeve there is a representation of a bird in flight with an elongated body.

The Dong Son culture was defined in 1924 in northern Vietnam near the Ma River. Its name is not original. It comes from a village located near the Thanh Hoa city, where the first archaeological works were carried out. This culture dates back to the period from the 5th century BC until the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. It was a community specializing primarily in metallurgy. Weapons, agricultural tools, utility items and bronze jewelry were produced. However, the most famous of their objects are drums made entirely of bronze. Today, the bronzes of Dong Son culture are considered the national treasures of Vietnam.

Pediform axe (viet. Rìu Đồng)
Dong Son Culture
North Vietnam
V – II c. BP
Bronze casting
H: 12,5 cm L: 11,1 cm
MAP 8099