Hai… The research works of these scholars include books and articles published in KCH, NPHMVKCH Annual, NCĐNA, NC&PT, Internet… not only provide us with a fairly complete and objective system of documents on Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue, but also clearly express research viewpoints on a number of issues. These are all valuable sources of documents that the author of the thesis has inherited to a certain extent when referring to the issues of Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue.
When writing this thesis, in addition to referring to published written documents related to the topic, the author also used sources of documents obtained on the basis of fieldwork. In order to fully and objectively mention the Champa relics and artifacts in Thua Thien Hue, we visited all locations with Champa relics and artifacts in the province to describe the current status, measure, and take photos of the relics and artifacts. In addition, we also coordinated with Kansai University, Japan to conduct two expeditions to the Hoa Chau ancient citadel to have more information to more accurately assess this citadel. In addition, referring to images of Champa relics in Thua Thien Hue in particular and the Central region in general by researchers such as Le Dinh Phung, Tran Duc Anh Son, Le Duy Son, Trinh Nam Hai, etc. also helped the author of the thesis have valuable information, especially in comparing Champa culture in Thua Thien Hue with other regions.
3. Research objectives
When researching the topic "Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue", we aimed at the following goals:
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- Based on the collection of documents and research results of previous scholars, processing and systematizing information collected from the field, we provide a statistical result, a complete and objective description of Champa cultural relics and artifacts in Thua Thien Hue. At the same time, we delve into the distribution characteristics, current status, construction techniques, styles, owners and dates... of some typical relics. At the same time, we highlight the relationships of Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue to contribute to the reconstruction of Champa cultural face.
- Identify relics on the map for management purposes.
- The topic will demonstrate to managers and researchers the potential and great value of Champa archaeology in Thua Thien Hue, thereby promoting the interest of the whole society in this valuable cultural heritage.
- Researching the history of Champa culture in general and Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue in particular aims at helping people understand more about this culture, from which they will be aware of preserving and protecting Champa relics and artifacts which are facing many risks of loss and damage.
If these goals are achieved, they will supplement and complete previous studies on Champa culture in Thua Thien Hue in particular and the Bac Hai Van area in general.
4. Research object and scope
- The main research object of the thesis is Champa relics and artifacts in Thua Thien Hue such as temples, towers, ramparts, wells, inscriptions, and sculptures. These relics may be intact, but they may also have become ruins. Regarding sculptures, the author only mentions relics originating in Hue that are currently kept and preserved at museums in Thua Thien Hue such as the Hue Museum of Fine Arts, Thua Thien Hue Museum of History, Hue Museum of Fine Arts, and the Department of History of the Hue University of Science, and in villages in Thua Thien Hue. Champa relics believed to have originated in Hue that are currently kept at private collectors in and outside the province or at some museums in other provinces will not be the main research object of this thesis. However, from a certain perspective, we also mention them as a source of data for comparison.
- Scope of the thesis
About space: is the area of Thua Thien Hue province according to current administrative boundaries.
Regarding time: The thesis only studies the Champa relics and artifacts that have been limited above, dating from the 2nd century AD to the 14th century AD - the time of existence of the Champa kingdom in Thua Thien Hue.
5. Research methods
- When carrying out this topic, we used dialectical materialism and historical materialism methods in perceiving and evaluating historical issues of Champa in general and in Thua Thien Hue in particular - which have long been very sensitive, as well as in researching Champa cultural relics in this area.
- Thoroughly use archaeological research methods while implementing the topic. That is, survey, measure, describe the current status, take photos, locate the coordinates of the relics using a handheld GPS device... to highlight the whole view of the Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue.
- In some specific cases, the topic also uses the method of comparison and contrast of documents to reveal the issues that the topic is aiming at.
6. Results and contributions of the thesis
- Based on written and field sources, the topic provides a sufficient and objective amount of information about Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue in terms of historical research, location, distribution characteristics, and current status. This can be a source of reference for those interested in Champa history and culture in general and in Thua Thien Hue in particular.
- Based on the relics and artifacts, the thesis reveals the characteristics of the Champa cultural relic system in the area from the following perspectives: distribution, type, age, relationships and values of Champa cultural relics and artifacts in Thua Thien Hue; contributing to clarifying the nature of Champa culture in this area. These are issues that have not been specifically mentioned in previous research works. Therefore, the thesis will contribute to a more comprehensive study of Champa culture in Thua Thien Hue.
- The issues raised in this topic can help local managers in terms of monument documentation or in monument management.
7. Advantages and disadvantages when implementing the topic
- Favorable:
+ Up to now, previous research works have more or less mentioned Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue. These are valuable sources of documents for this topic to inherit and promote.
+ The research area and subjects are close to the workplace, so it is convenient for field work.
+ Researching Champa relics in general and in Thua Thien Hue in particular has been the author's long-cherished dream.
- Hard:
+ Hue is a locality with a rich number of Champa cultural relics. However, due to many different reasons, most of the relics are ruins, some of which have been completely lost in the field. This is the biggest difficulty in carrying out the thesis.
+ Up to now, there have been too few archaeological excavations of Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue.
+ The author himself does not have much experience in field work, and the conditions for practical penetration are still limited. This certainly has a significant impact on the results of the thesis.
8. Thesis layout
In addition to the introduction and conclusion, the main content of the thesis is divided into 3 chapters:
Chapter 1: Natural conditions, population and history of Champa in Thua Thien Hue
Chapter 2: Champa cultural relics in Thua Thien Hue
Chapter 3: Basic characteristics of the Champa cultural relic system in Thua Thien Hue
In addition, the thesis also has a List of References and an Illustrative Appendix. After the cover page of the thesis, there are also Acknowledgements, Declarations, Table of Contents and List of Abbreviations used in the thesis; List of statistical tables, maps; diagrams; List of drawings and photographs.
CHAPTER 1: NATURAL CONDITIONS, POPULATION AND HISTORY OF CHAMPA IN THUA THIEN HUE
1.1. Natural geographical features
Thua Thien Hue is a province located in the middle of the Central strip of Vietnam. The province's territory extends in the Northwest - Southeast direction, between 16 0 00 ' and 16 0 44 ' North latitude and from 107 0 02 ' to 108 0 12 ' East longitude [104, p. 9]. The North borders Quang Tri province, the South borders Da Nang city and Quang Nam, the West borders Laos and the East borders the East Sea. Looking at the map of Vietnam, Thua Thien Hue is the final limit of a narrow strip of land extending from Ha Tinh and opening a large area stretching from Da Nang to Ca Mau cape.
In terms of terrain, Thua Thien Hue is the southernmost part of the Northern Truong Son mid-range mountain range, developing in the Northwest - Southeast direction. The general characteristics of this terrain are quite complex, the western slope is gentle, gradually decreasing towards the South, while the eastern slope is quite steep, strongly divided into mid-range mountains, low mountains, valleys, hills and then coastal plains and coastal zones (including lagoons, sand dunes and coastal sea). In a larger space, the North of Thua Thien Hue is the rugged Hoanh Son range, the South is the majestic Van Hai pass. And for that reason, Thua Thien Hue is considered the southern edge of a wide valley stretching from Hoanh Son to Hai Van pass.
In general, we can see that Thua Thien Hue terrain can be divided into two parts:
+ The Western and Southern parts include mountainous and valley terrain, accounting for most of the province's area (75.1%). The mountains form an arc from the West to the South like a massive wall. The mountains are all made of Granite, with sharp peaks and steep slopes. The transition between the mountains and the plains is a hilly area, with undulating hills, ancient alluvial terraces, and barren Feralit soil, with some places bare of gravel and rocks. This type of terrain is mainly concentrated in the Nam Dong, A Luoi and Phong Dien regions.
+ The eastern part includes coastal plains, lagoons, sand dunes, accounting for 24.9% of the province's natural land area. These terrains are formed by river and sea alluvium and the erosion of low hills scattered along the coast. In general, the Thua Thien Hue plain is narrow, fragmented and infertile. This greatly affects the agricultural activities of the residents.
Based on the location and dominant role of the river system, the Thua Thien Hue plain is divided into three main regions: the O Lau river plain, the Bo river plain, the Huong river plain and the southern rivers and streams. Of which, the O Lau river plain is considered the most fertile.
A special type of terrain in Thua Thien Hue is the lagoon system running along the coast. The lagoons in Thua Thien Hue stretch in a typical Northwest - Southeast direction, including Tam Giang lagoon, Thanh Lam lagoon - Sam lagoon, Ha Trung lagoon - Thuy Tu lagoon, Cau Hai lagoon, connected to each other in a strip. To the South is Lap An lagoon (or Lang Co lagoon or An Cu lagoon). The northern lagoon strip connects to the sea through Thuan An estuary (in Tam Giang lagoon) and Tu Hien estuary (in Cau Hai lagoon). Lap An lagoon alone connects to the sea through Lang Co estuary. According to researchers, the Tam Giang - Cau Hai coastal zone was formed in the late Pleistocene and completed in the late Holocene [104, p. 56]. Since its formation until now, these coastal zones have changed frequently due to the impact of rising sea levels. At first, the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon system was very deep, so the water flow of the rivers was even.
poured into Tu Hien 1 gate . Later, due to the change of course of the Huong River, Thuan An gate was
opened (in 1404) 2 so the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon system gradually dried up, the water flow to Tu Hien estuary decreased, that was one of the reasons why the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon system and Tu Hien estuary gradually lost their role. Thus, before the 14th century, Tu Hien estuary - Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon was considered an important sea route connecting the sea with rivers, deep inland.
In Thua Thien Hue, we also encounter many sand dunes running along the coast. The formation of these sand dunes is related to the deposition of river and sea alluvium and is greatly affected by the phenomenon of blowing sand, which is common in the Central region. This type of sand dune terrain has changed a lot over historical periods but has also been a place of human settlement since very early times (at least from the first millennium BC).
Obviously, the terrain of Thua Thien Hue is extremely diverse and complex. The level of interlacing and breaking between terrain types is very large. Mountainous terrain accounts for a large amount, the plains are small and narrow, and have poor fertility. This not only affects the diversity of human habitats in history but also determines the way of living or more precisely, the economic activities of people at that time. That is an important factor, contributing to
1 Tu Hien Gate also has other names: O Long, Tu Dung, Tu Khach, Vinh Hien.
2 Thuan An Gate also has other names: Hoa Duong Gate, Yeu Hai Mon, Noan Hai Mon, Nhuyen Hai Mon, Hai Khau, and Lap Gate.
on the formation of relics/cultures in many eras, including Champa culture.
Regarding climate, due to the influence of geographical location, the domination of terrain, ... the climate of Thua Thien Hue has quite typical features. In general, the climate of Thua Thien Hue is characterized by a hot and humid tropical monsoon climate. On the other hand, due to its location in the middle of the country, and being blocked by the Bach Ma mid-range mountain range in the South, the climate of Thua Thien Hue has a strong transitional climate between the two regions of the South and the North of our country. The climate here is divided into two distinct seasons: the rainy season (from September to December) and the dry season (from January to August). The average temperature
The average annual temperature in Thua Thien Hue is about 25.2 0 C, the total active heat during the year
about 9,100 0 -9,200 0 C. The average number of sunny hours is 2,000 hours. Hue is the place with the highest rainfall in the country. The average rainfall is from 2,700mm to 3,490mm with the average number of rainy days per year from 149 to 196 days, of which 85% of the rainfall is concentrated from September to December [104, pp. 77-107].
The seasonal rains combined with steep terrain often cause droughts and floods. In areas with large areas of sandy soil or bare hills, the ability to retain surface water is limited, so there is often a serious water shortage. On the contrary, low-lying areas are flooded during the rainy season. This area is also heavily affected by storms, concentrated in August, September, October and the Southwest monsoon (Lao wind).
These climatic factors have significantly affected the lives of Thua Thien Hue people over the years. It is one of the factors contributing to the formation of Hue's cultural identity.
Because the terrain is mountainous to the west and the vast ocean to the east; and is strongly divided, Hue has a dense river system with many large and small rivers not far from each other, including major rivers such as the Bo River, the O Lau River, and the Huong River. In addition, there are small rivers such as the Ta Trach, Huu Trach, and Phu Oc rivers... This river system all originates from the mountainous areas of the west, the flow gradually increases due to the confluence with the system of large and small streams, winding and flowing into the sea, combined with coastal lagoons to create ports and estuaries convenient for transportation such as the Tu Hien estuary and the Thuan An estuary. Due to the influence of the rainfall regime, in the dry season the rivers are all dry, in the rainy season the rivers are full of water. The rivers are important blood vessels, convenient waterways connecting the regions in the plains with the mountainous areas of the west rich in products and reaching out to the vast ocean. Not only that, the
The river also contributes to creating fertile alluvial fields, which are important conditions for agricultural settlement.
The coast in Thua Thien Hue is quite flat with long stretches of sand dunes, combined with a system of mountains and coastal lagoons to create important ports and harbors between regions in the area, between Thua Thien Hue and other places in the country and the region.
In short, Thua Thien Hue “is a place where mountains and seas converge, located between the South and the North, with high and dry land, flat mountains and rivers; waterways have Thuan An and Tu Hien estuaries, deep and dangerous; roads have Hoanh Son and Hai Van Pass to block, large rivers stretch in front, high mountains guard behind… To the east, bordering the sea, there are lagoons; to the west, there are mountains, rugged mountains and forests. Tam Giang lagoon is in the north, Ha Trung lagoon is in the east, the Ta Trach source mountains circle around in the south, the Huu Trach source mountains stretch out on the right; mountains and rivers surround, fertile fields; both bordering the sea and near mountains… flat places, dangerous places alternate, water and soil are good, very convenient for the four directions to converge…” [79, p.16].
1.2. Population characteristics
Prehistoric archaeological discoveries in Thua Thien Hue show that, very early on, this land was inhabited by humans. The evidence is that we have discovered a collection of more than 30 stone axes in the mountainous area of A Luoi, in La Nga village, Hong Thuy commune; Meo mountain, Hong Van commune and in Bac Son, Hong Bac, Hong Ha communes. Traces of stone tools and even pottery were also discovered in Truoi (Nam Pho Ha, Loc An commune), Trang Dinh (Thuy Yen, Loc Thuy commune, Phu Loc district); in Phu O, Bau Dung (Huong Chu commune, Huong Tra district) 3 . Characteristics of the material
The materials, types and techniques of making stone adzes as well as the appearance of pottery allow to date them from the late Neolithic to early Metal Age, belonging to the Bau Tro culture [59], [83], [85]. The owners of these relics/artifacts not only gathered in the mountainous areas of the West but also in the plains; not only lived in herds, completely dependent on nature but also advanced from slash-and-burn agriculture to wet rice agriculture; knew how to make ceramic containers and other
3 Previously, there was information about the discovery of relics of the Paleolithic era in Thua Thien Hue in the yard of Bao Quoc pagoda as well as in the hilly area of Ngoc Ho village, Huong Ho commune, Huong Tra district. However, those discoveries were not enough evidence to prove that in Thien Thien Hue there were traces of primitive inhabitants of the Paleolithic era.