Ancient Citadel Uncovered in Vietnam

Ancient Citadel Uncovered in Vietnam

(EXCERPT) By Associated Press

November 11, 2003, 3:22 PM EST

HANOI, Vietnam -- Archaeologists announced Tuesday that they have
uncovered the ruins of an ancient citadel in Hanoi dating back 1,300
years, describing it as the most important archaeological find in
Vietnamese history.

Workers began clearing an area the size of two soccer fields in
December 2002 to build government buildings, but archeologists were
called in to investigate before construction began because it was
believed the site may contain artifacts.

On Tuesday, an archaeological team revealed it had discovered
thousands of artifacts, many in good condition, as well as pillar
foundations of a structure, graves, a network of drainage systems,
water wells and imprints of an ancient river and lake.

"This is the biggest and most important archaeological find in
Vietnam's archaeological history," said Tong Trung Tin, deputy
director of the Institute of Archaeology.

In some places, the team came across artifacts and structures built on
top of each other ranging from the 7th to the 19th centuries, he said.

Tin said the excavation site covers only a small part of the western
side of the citadel, which was believed to cover an area up to 345
acres under the Le Dynasty from the 15th to 18th centuries.

The team has another acre to clear, and was expected to finish in
another four months.

Tin did not s...

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Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
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