The Quang Ngai Provincial Museum is preserving the remains of a man and a woman unearthed from a double burial tomb on Ly Son Island.
The double burial remains found on Ly Son island (Photo: Quoc Trieu).
A double burial refers to the interment of two individuals within the same tomb complex or in adjacent graves. The burial was discovered during archaeological excavations at the Xom Oc site on Ly Son Island in 1997.
Archaeologists identified the remains as belonging to members of the ancient Sa Huynh culture and estimated them to be around 2,500 years old. Following their discovery, the remains were transferred to the Quang Ngai Provincial Museum, where they have been carefully preserved for research and conservation.
According to Doan Ngoc Khoi, former deputy director of the museum, the double burial found at the Xom Oc site is among the most intact ever discovered and holds significant value for the study of the Sa Huynh civilisation.
The discovery suggests that, in addition to the well-known jar and urn burial traditions associated with the Sa Huynh people, they also practised earth burials.
Excavations revealed not only the human remains but also a range of grave goods. Archaeologists found an arrowhead resting on the left arm of the female skeleton and a ring made from a seashell on her right arm.
Numerous grave goods were found inside the tomb (Photo: Quoc Trieu).
Subsequent analysis indicated that the remains belonged to a man aged about 60 and a woman aged around 25 at the time of death.
What makes the discovery particularly remarkable is the exceptional state of preservation despite its age. Archaeologists believe Ly Son Island's unique geological conditions played a crucial role in protecting the remains.
The soil contains large quantities of mollusc shells, creating a calcium-rich environment that helped prevent the bones from deteriorating over thousands of years.
Khoi said there are likely more Sa Huynh burial sites on Ly Son Island and did not rule out the possibility that additional double burials remain hidden beneath the ground.
He said a future excavation project could help archaeologists uncover more graves for research and enable the preservation and promotion of the cultural heritage of the ancient Sa Huynh civilisation.
