DECORATIVE ANCIENT BRONZE AGE CUFF BANGLE BRACELET FROM THE SOUTHEAST ASIA DONG SON CULTURE *SEA001

Product Description

Believed to be Asia's first civilization for ancient bronze casting, this beautiful and complete ancient bronze cuff bangle bracelet comes from the Dong Son culture of ancient Southeast Asia.  It features a wide band with elaborate decorative work.  The bronze has a wonderful encrusted mint blue-green patina. It is INTACT AND WEARABLE WITH NO REPAIR OR RESTORATION.  Acquired from a private Colorado collection.

The Dong Son culture (named for Đông Sơn, a village in Vietnam) was a Bronze Age culture in ancient Vietnam centered at the Red River Valley of northern Vietnam from 1000 BC until the first century AD.  It was the last great culture of Văn Lang and continued well into the period of the Âu Lạc state.  Its influence spread to other parts of Southeast Asia, including Maritime Southeast Asia, from about 1000 BC to 1 BC.

The Dong Son people, who are also known as Lạc or Lạc Việt, were skilled at cultivating rice, keeping water buffalo and pigs, fishing and sailing in long dugout canoes.  They also were skilled bronze casters, which is evidenced by the Dong Son drum found widely throughout northern Vietnam and South China.

The origins of Dong Son culture may be traced back to ancient bronze castings. The traditional theory is based on the assumption that bronze casting in eastern Asia originated in northern China. However, according to archaeological discoveries in Isan, Thailand in the 1970s, the casting of bronze began in Southeast Asia first.  The Dong Son bronze industry has a local origin, equivalent in timing to the Gò Mun culture, 700-500 BC. This includes bronze axes, spearheads and knives.  This was followed by daggers, swords, drums, and situla from 500-0 BC. Finally, Chinese seals, coins, mirrors and halberds appear in the first century AD.