During the 1990s, a pair of deer antlers were excavated in southern Vietnam. At the time, it was believed that they were simply well-preserved artifacts with unusual holes and other markings.
They were also the oldest animal bones to be found in Southeast Asia. For decades, they have been kept in museum storage.
A year ago, researchers realized that the ancient antlers were actually stringed musical instruments, making them the earliest known devices used for music in the region.
The antlers are 13.7 inches long and most likely came from a Sambar deer or a species of Indian hog deer that is native to Southeast Asia.
They are at least 2,000 years old and date back to the pre-Óc Eo culture that once thrived in the Mekong Delta between the second century B.C.E and the 12th century C.E.
The artifacts were discovered alongside three identical bronze bells at the archaeological site of Gò Ô Chùa, which is located along the Mekong River in the Long An province.
After their unearthing, they were sent to the Long An museum, where they remained until a team of archaeologists led by Fredeliza Campos from the Australian National University came to visit.
In 2012 and 2016, they examined the antlers and determined that they were single-stringed musical instruments called chordophones.
The end of one of the antlers had a “perfectly round hole” that seemed to be meant for a peg to fit in for tuning a string. The other antler was damaged, but it had evidence of grooves where a taut string might have been attached.
Musicians would play ancient chordophones while sitting on the ground and drawing a bow across tightened strings.
It is unclear as to what sound the instruments made, but Campos thinks that they may have been similar to contemporary musical instruments in Vietnam, such as the K’ny. Like the chordophone, it is a single-string bowed instrument.
It can play a broad range of sounds and tones that can be modulated with the player’s mouth.
The discovery has helped bridge the gap between other early musical instruments and more modern instruments in Vietnam.
It also “suggests that traditional Vietnamese music has its origins in the prehistoric past,” according to Campos.
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By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
