Understanding settlement construction and chronology at Đền Đồi, Nghệ An province, Central Vietnam

Abstract

Archaeological excavations at the site of Đền Đồi, Nghệ An Province, Central Vietnam, produced evidence of a well-stratified depositional sequence that provides important insights into a previously unrecorded method of settlement construction in the period c. 2000–1500 cal. BCE. The evidence suggests that foundation platforms for wooden structures were constructed from purposefully deposited layers of windowpane oyster shells (Placuna placenta) alternating with layers of locally obtained natural loam deposits. Intermittently, dwellings were demolished, and new surfaces and structures were rebuilt on top. Extensive chronometric dating indicates that the surviving sequence of foundations built up over a period of less than 400 years, during the first half of the 2nd millennium BCE.