Ngọc Lũ The Ngọc Lũ drum is regarded as the most important of the Đông Sơn drums. The drum was accidentally discovered in 1893 in
Hà Nam Province, southeast of
Hanoi, rather than during a planned expedition. In contrast to most other drums of the Dong Son, the
drumhead bears three concentric panels depicting animals or humans interleaved with bands of geometric or circular patterns. The innermost panel appears to be a self-referencing depiction, as it is decorated with pictures of humans who appear to be performing a ceremony involving the drums themselves. Other musical instruments and rice growing and harvesting activities are also shown. The two outer panels are decorated with scenes of
deer,
hornbills and crane
egrets.
Hoàng Hạ The
Hoàng Hạ drum is a notable Đông Sơn drum. It was discovered in
Hòa Bình Province in 1937 near the village of Hoàng Ha, with an outer panel of crane egrets and an inner panel which shows a procession similar to that described in the Ngọc Lũ drum, the most famous of the Đông Sơn drums. The drum shows a procession similar to that described in the Ngọc Lũ drum. This drum varies in that it depicts four sets of men in procession with feathered headgear, rather than two. Also, each set comprises three or four people none of whom appear to be armed. The posture of the men was interpreted as that they were participating in a dance rather than a military ceremony. In this drum, only one pair of people are depicted as threshing rice, and there is no cymbal player. However, the general motifs, such as the boats on the mantle, remain in place. Large drums found in northern Vietnam were generally in the minority, as most drums have simple decorations with fewer representations of people. The
Ban Thom drum has only an inner panel with four houses and plumed humans standing alone or in couples. == See also ==