Two more sets of Dan Da (stone percussion instruments) have recently been found in the central highlands province of Lam Dong, bringing the total sets of lithophone discovered in the locality to five, said the provincial museum.
According to Vice Director of the Lam Dong museum Doan Bich Ngo, the two sets of Dan Da, comprising a total of 53 stone slabs, were discovered in Hoa Nam and Lien Dam communes in Di Linh District.
The Hoa Nam lithophone consists of 30 slabs but only 18 remain intact while 12 other have been partly broken. The Lien Dam lithophone has 23 pieces, and only 4 are broken. They are said to possess the largest number of slabs so far.
According to archaeologists, the new sets of lithophone share similarities in the type of used stone and also the shaping technique to make slabs strike notes when playing.
They also share similarities in the arrangement of slabs with those found in Dinh La and Son Dien communes, also in Di Linh District, which were made public in late 2007.
“The finding proves that Lam Dong is a cradle of lithophone and a lot of amazing and mysterious things may be still buried under its soil waiting to be discovered,†said Ngo.