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The Origins of Ancient Vietnam

Online ISBN:
9780190268879
Print ISBN:
9780199980888
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

The Origins of Ancient Vietnam

Nam C. Kim
Nam C. Kim

Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Middleton, WI
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Published online:
19 November 2015
Published in print:
1 December 2015
Online ISBN:
9780190268879
Print ISBN:
9780199980888
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

This book is concerned with the origins of an ancient state in northern Vietnam, an area long believed to be the cradle of Vietnamese ethnic identity and civilization. This area has been referenced by Vietnamese and Chinese writers for over a millennium, many recording colorful tales and legends. One of the most enduring accounts is story of the Au Lac Kingdom and its purported capital, known as Co Loa. According to legend, the city was founded during the third century bc, and massive rampart walls were built to protect its rulers. Over the centuries, Co Loa has become emblematic of an important foundational era for Vietnamese civilization. Today, the ramparts still stand in silent testament to the power of past societies. Using the archaeological record to complement, support, and challenge traditional textual sources, this book considers trajectories of cultural change throughout the area’s prehistory: from an era of scattered farming villages to a time when powerful societies emerged, marked by unprecedented social inequalities and consolidated forms of political power. Presented are newly gathered data indicating the founding of Co Loa by an ancient state, centuries before the area would be annexed by the Chinese Han Empire. The causal factors for these momentous developments are also considered, placing Co Loa within a wider global theoretical consideration of ancient cities, states, and civilizations. Finally, the book explores the complex relationship between the politics of the present and the material remains of the ancient past.

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