Vietnam discovers 2,000-year-old stringed instrument

Discovered along the Mekong River in southern Vietnam, the 2,000-year-old instrument resembles a single-stringed harp and may have been an ancestor to the complex musical instruments people still plucked today in Vietnam, according to UK-based science website IFLScience.

The artifact consists of a 35-centimeter piece of deer antler with a hole at one end for a peg, which was likely used to tune the string.

The antler most likely came from a Sambar deer or an Indian hog deer, two species native to mainland Southeast Asia.

While the string seems to have eroded away long ago, the instrument features a bridge that was perhaps used to support the string.

Lead researcher and Ph.D. student Fredeliza Campos from the Australian National University said the artifact is at least 2,000 years old — dating back to Vietnam’s pre-Oc Eo culture along the Mekong River, which is exceptionally early for this kind of instrument.

How the artifact could have been played. Image credit: F Z Campos.

“This stringed instrument, or chordophone, is one of the earliest examples of this type of instrument in Southeast Asia,” Campos said.

To better understand the music cultures of ancient Vietnam, researchers sifted through a catalog of over 600 bone artifacts found in the area.

Their analysis indicates that this fashioned antler corresponds to contemporary Vietnamese musical instruments.

There are three corresponding types of instruments for comparison, including the Bro JoRai of the Ede ethnic people, the Co Ke (‘dan nhi’ or ‘dan co’, a Vietnamese bowed string instrument with two strings found throughout Vietnam), and the K’ny – a single-string bowed instrument that is uniquely controlled by the player’s mouth – of the Jarai ethnic people.

The discovery was published on Tuesday in the peer-reviewed archeology journal Antiquity.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Researchers have found a 2,000-year-old insturmented crafted from a deer antler in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, one of the earliest examples of a stringed instrument ever found in Southeast Asia.

Discovered along the Mekong River in southern Vietnam, the 2,000-year-old instrument resembles a single-stringed harp and may have been an ancestor to the complex musical instruments people still plucked today in Vietnam, according to UK-based science website IFLScience.

The artifact consists of a 35-centimeter piece of deer antler with a hole at one end for a peg, which was likely used to tune the string.

The antler most likely came from a Sambar deer or an Indian hog deer, two species native to mainland Southeast Asia.

While the string seems to have eroded away long ago, the instrument features a bridge that was perhaps used to support the string.

Lead researcher and Ph.D. student Fredeliza Campos from the Australian National University said the artifact is at least 2,000 years old — dating back to Vietnam’s pre-Oc Eo culture along the Mekong River, which is exceptionally early for this kind of instrument.

How the artifact could have been played. Image credit: F Z Campos.

“This stringed instrument, or chordophone, is one of the earliest examples of this type of instrument in Southeast Asia,” Campos said.

To better understand the music cultures of ancient Vietnam, researchers sifted through a catalog of over 600 bone artifacts found in the area.

Their analysis indicates that this fashioned antler corresponds to contemporary Vietnamese musical instruments.

There are three corresponding types of instruments for comparison, including the Bro JoRai of the Ede ethnic people, the Co Ke (‘dan nhi’ or ‘dan co’, a Vietnamese bowed string instrument with two strings found throughout Vietnam), and the K’ny – a single-string bowed instrument that is uniquely controlled by the player’s mouth – of the Jarai ethnic people.

The discovery was published on Tuesday in the peer-reviewed archeology journal Antiquity.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The post Vietnam discovers 2,000-year-old stringed instrument appeared first on Vietexplorer.com.

View more from VietExplorer:

Quang Ninh to reopen to int’l tourists in first week of next year
Getting lost in the romantic Amaratoide flower field in Hanoi
Daredevil Giang brothers break world record in Spain
Vietjet Air plans to resume international flights on January 1, 2022
Vice President visits ethnic people of Lai Chau province
Vietnam eyes raising average floor area per person to 27 sq.m
Vietnamese Robusta coffee setting world records
Vietnam to welcome back foreign tourists via sea, road: ministry
Vietnam poised to receive overseas Vietnamese, foreign travelers
Some western tourists want to sample dog meat: tour guides
Hanoi bans traffic and gatherings around Hoan Kiem Lake and St’ Joseph Cathedral on Christmas
Vietnam’s unique culture introduced at EXPO Dubai
Vietnam crush Cambodia to set up AFF Suzuki Cup semi with Thailand
Thailand beat Singapore 2-0 to remain unbeaten in Suzuki Cup
Vietnamese striker among nominees for Best Footballer in Asia award
Vietnam held to goalless draw against Indonesia in AFF Suzuki Cup
Hanoi’s tourism sector ready for revival
Churches in Hanoi in colourful decorations for Christmas
Vietnam’s Kim Duyen among top 16 at Miss Universe 2021
Contemporary tuong play to be performed