Vietnam Unveils Ancient Artifacts from Excavation:
Ancient terracotta dragons, phoenix statues and ceramic urns unearthed from a royal compound accidentally discovered where Vietnam’s new parliament was being built were put on display for the first time on Tuesday.
I have to wonder what kind of mystical powers these ancient artifacts possess…
So how many artifacts are we talking about?
In its first international briefing at the site, the Ministry of Information and Culture displayed some of the estimated two million items that have been uncovered since excavation began in December 2002 in the capital Hanoi.
Two million artifacts? Well, they’re not all cool artifacts:
Deep wells, ornate pavilions and bases for mighty pillars were found along with the more mundane rubbish dumps and tiled drains. Some gold jewelry, decorated swords and a cannon were also retrieved along with skeletal remains from a later period.
So why haven’t we heard anything about this until now?
Access to the site has been strictly controlled, with foreign media not permitted to visit.