Gò Thành – an archaeological site

The site, in Tân Thành village, Tân Thuận Bình commune, Chợ Gạo district, Tiền Giang province, is of Óc Eo culture from 4^th to 8^th centuries AD. Visitors are able to understand more about the sociality of Phù Nam people, to know the rules and regulations of social development in Southern part. The site was classified as historic cultural relic nationally in 1994.

Photo: Xuân Hiếu

Right from the doorgate, there are two notice boards saying: in 1941, (L. Malleret, a French archaeologist found the site and collected few objects and then he made public in France as Óc Eo culture. In July 1987 an official investigation was carried out and concluded that Gò Thành archaeological site was of ÓC Eo culture and the relics were not only found in Tiền Giang but in Southern provinces: An Giang, Đồng Tháp, Long An...

           

Directed by a tour-guide, we will come to see the spot. It’s a large area with ancient relics on a layer of clay, 3m above the sea level and a hill-lock of 1ha large. After the excavations, the archaeologists found in the Western and South-Western rice-fields: broken ceramics of vases, bones of buffaloes, pigs, even fish, ashes, fruit-peelings and wooden stakes. On top of hill-locks, there are foundations of destroyed temples and towers, between the remains of towers. There are holy round and square holes or in lotus-shape, carved in with elephants and other animals (40cm in sizes) put on each other, then covered with yellow sand and pebbles. The foundations of the towers were strongly and firmly built in various brick-sizes.

           

In the archaeological site, there are 12 worship-holes and a few old wells. There said to be more than 100 objects of gold (many got broken) even hand-laces made different shapes: leaves, 6-petal flowers, necklaces... There are 6 objects of bronze including 2 rings, a small tube and 2 pieces of copper in trapezium.

           

Then we continue our trip to the show-room of almost undamaged exhibitions. A communal house was rebuilt recently and the relics area was fenced by walls. Especially, there’s a statue of god Vishnu, a goddess and a god, but only the bodies were found. There are additional broken pieces of ceramics... It’s a relic of high values due to its preservation of many vestiges in residences, architecture, tombs... especially on temples and towers. It’s a testimony to a civilization of a nation named Kingdom of Phù Nam.

           

Gò Thành site has been upgraded many times and it become more attractive with every passing day, a good destination for visitors at home and abroad to understand more thoroughly about the history of a culture which existed thousands of years ago in the Kingdom Phù Nam and the identities of Óc Eo culture.

                                         ANH THƯ