Ngọc Lũ drum, Bronze ceremonial drum at National Museum of Vietnamese History, Hanoi, Vietnam
The Ngọc Lũ drum is a bronze object created in ancient times, standing 63 centimeters tall with a diameter of 79 centimeters, and its surface is covered with raised designs. Three ring-shaped sections divide the top face, each filled with different images of people, buildings, geometric shapes, and creatures that tell a story of a civilization long gone.
This drum was made during the Bronze Age in the region, belonging to a time when metalworking was still developing in Southeast Asia. Workers building a dike in Ha Nam Province stumbled upon it in 1893, which led to its preservation and later placement in a museum where it could be studied and seen by the public.
The drum displays scenes of daily life from ancient times, with people working in fields, playing music, and participating in rituals that reveal how communities organized themselves. These images help visitors understand what mattered to the people who created and used this object millennia ago.
The drum is displayed inside the National Museum, where it sits protected in a climate-controlled room with proper lighting so visitors can see all the details on its surface. It is best to visit early in the day when the museum is less crowded, and you can take time to observe the carved images without feeling rushed.
At the center of the drum's face is a large six-pointed star pattern that stands out immediately when you look at it, and this symbol may have held special meaning for the people who made it. Around this central motif, you can spot detailed images of curved-roof houses, bronze bells, and many different bird species, suggesting that the drum's maker paid close attention to the natural and built world around them.
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