Under the supervision of Dr. Lawrence H. Keeley, Nam Kim will analyze data gathered during his archaeological excavations at the Dongson Era (ca. 600 BC - AD 200) site of Co Loa in northern Vietnam's Red River Valley. The data will be used in Kim's dissertation to address questions concerning the origins of Vietnamese civilization and the emergence of ancient, state-level societies. The proto-urban Co Loa site is located 15 km from modern-day Hanoi, and much of Co Loa's fortification system of three massive earthen rampart walls still remains standing today. Approximately 600 hectares in size, Co Loa site's outermost enclosure measures 8 kilometers in circumference. These monumental fortifications undoubtedly required significant labor and investment for construction, clearly indicating centralized authority and the possibility of regional internecine warfare leading to Co Loa's political consolidation. This has ramifications for anthropological theories concerning the emergence of ancient states and the conditions that foster this process. Though researchers have developed theoretical models based on various case studies, models have largely overlooked data from Vietnam.
Regarding the region's history, questions remain as to when Co Loa and its walls were constructed, and by whom. According to Vietnamese oral traditions, Co Loa was the capital of the semi-legendary Au Lac Kingdom (ca. 257 - 207 BC), serving as the first capital of Vietnamese civilization. In contrast, Chinese Han historical texts offer a conflicting depiction. The imperial Han began colonizing the region at 111 BC, and their records contend that "barbarians" inhabited the area, generally denying in situ and indigenous cultural and political sophistication prior to colonization. Accordingly, researchers continue to debate when the capital city and its walls were built. Until these conflicting assertions are tested against the material record, they will remain hypothetical, thus leaving unresolved debates concerning the origins of Vietnamese civilization and ethnogenesis. Hence, the chronology of Co Loa is of crucial importance, and this project involves laboratory analysis of artifacts and organic materials to address when its walls were constructed as well as the sociopolitical conditions that precipitated construction. Do Co Loa's fortifications, monumental scale, and political complexity predate Chinese colonization? Did political and social sophistication originate indigenously, through colonization by the Chinese, or through some combination of both? Only archaeological data can furnish the empirical evidence and chronological assessments critical to these questions.
Finally, this project holds broader significance beyond the research questions outlined above. It will serve as a foundation for future, continued collaboration between American and Vietnamese researchers. In recent years, Vietnam has become increasingly open to collaboration with foreign researchers, but relatively few American archaeologists have worked in Vietnam. Prior to Mr. Kim's fieldwork at Co Loa, no foreigner had ever been allowed to excavate at the ancient capital. Additionally, this collaboration will continue to engage various Vietnamese constituencies, from academics to local community members at Co Loa. The proposed project is especially salient given current efforts to obtain UNESCO World Heritage site status for Co Loa. The importance of this project to the Vietnamese was evinced by visits to the excavation site by government officials during the fieldwork, such as the former president of Vietnam and the current deputy prime minister.
