Archaeological site of Duong Xa pottery kiln

Duong Xa pottery kiln.

Previously, this site was located in an area where soil was exploited for brick making, so the Duong Xa pottery kiln was severely excavated. The entire upper part and the riverside area were excavated, revealing traces of kilns and many ceramic relics. In order to protect the site in time, in 1999-2000, the Institute of Archaeology cooperated with the Bac Ninh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to excavate the high land along the river and discovered traces of 9 pottery kilns and thousands of relics.

Duong Xa pottery kilns are all frog-sized kilns, with the same structure and quite similar size.

In general, Duong Xa pottery kilns are all frog-sized kilns, with the same structure and size, the kiln doors all face the Southeast. The kiln has a short body, a nearly square tail and oval cross-section, egg-shaped or tubular longitudinal cut. The kiln floor gradually slopes higher towards the back and lower towards the door. The kiln structure consists of 3 parts: the kiln door is where the products enter and exit, and is also where firewood is put in to burn, so it is called the burning chamber; the kiln body is located in the middle, where the products are stacked each time when they are fired; finally, the back of the kiln, where chimneys release the gas. The kiln is 4.6-5m long, 2.5-3m wide at its widest point, 1-1.3m wide at its door and 1.1-1.3m high.

Typical artifacts in the site.

The kilns here all have two chimneys. The chimneys are built into the kiln dome, so when broken, they often fall into the kiln. This type of chimney can be visualized through the chimney models of the Thanh Lang kiln and the Chua Dong kiln in Lung Hoa (Vinh Phuc) dating back to around the 7th-8th century.

Plan of Duong Xa 1 excavation pit and topographic map of Duong Xa pottery kiln.

Typical artifacts include 2 pottery kilns, 2 pottery pots, 2 pottery bowls, 4 jars with 4 ears, 6 enamel bowls, 3 rope-shaped pots...

Relic ranking certificate in 2008.

Through the excavation of the Duong Xa pottery kiln, it has been possible to learn about this type of craft in Bac Ninh, a profession that has long been famous. Although this type of craft is not much left today, through these documents, it is expected to research the creative talent of the craftsmen in the past.

With skillful hands, patience and creativity, with only soil, straw, bamboo, and wood, they have created ceramic products for the needs of society. These documents also contribute to the study of product characteristics and production organization of the old craftsmen’s guilds. This is a very important aspect in learning about Bac Ninh’s tradition in labor production.