Bau Tro
Bàu Tró · Bau Tro Lake · Bau Tro Neolithic · Quang Binh Bau Tro
Late Neolithic Bau Tro 3000–1800 BCE (Hoabinhian substrate)·Hoabinhian → Bau Tro Neolithic (central coast)·🇻🇳 Quảng Bình Province, Đồng Hới City, Bàu Tró Lake terrace east of Đồng Hới beach dunes, central Vietnam coast, Vietnam
About
About Bau Tro
Central Vietnam coastal Bau Tro Neolithic — Bau Tró Lake freshwater-behind-dunes mound (c.3000–1800 BCE) with Hoabinhian→Neolithic sequence at the Annamite-Delta interface. Madeleine Colani 1923 discovery on lake terrace: Hoabinhian pebble choppers at base, then Bàu Tró Late Neolithic (3000 BCE): slot-tooth comb (tàng tróc) stamp ware, shouldered polished axe, stone bracelet, charred Canarium nuts. Lake stratum 1.2 m with Bau Tro type ware establishes central coast's parallel path between Phung Nguyen north and An Son south, with dune-base shell heap (Meretrix). Near Đồng Hới Bay?
Why it mattersDefines central Vietnam's coastal Neolithic — Bau Tró slot-tooth ware is the diagnostic linking Colani's central sequence to Phung Nguyen north and Bau Tro–Sa Huynh continuum.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Slot-tooth technique — Thai Ban Chiang or China mimic?
- 02Canarium agriculture — cultivation or wild grove?
Theories
- 01Bau Tro as Hoabinhian coastal trap succeeding An Son's inland delta
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.3000 BCE Late Neolithic lakeside village base
- Period
- Late Neolithic Bau Tro 3000–1800 BCE (Hoabinhian substrate)
- Culture
- Hoabinhian → Bau Tro Neolithic (central coast)
- Builders
- Quang Binh dune-lake coastal foragers transitioning to polishing farming
- Purpose
- Dune-backed freshwater lake fishing–foraging to early farming transition bridging Hoabinhian to Dong Son
- Abandoned
- c.1800 BCE with dune drift burying
- Rediscovered
- 1923 Madeleine Colani — first central Vietnam Neolithic defined
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.3000 BCE
Bau Tro founding — slot-tooth comb ware, polished shouldered axe, Meretrix heap on dune lake
c.1800 BCE
Dune drift abandenes terrace — lacustrine silt caps cultural layer
1923
Colani defines Bau Tro culture — central Vietnam Neolithic hallmark
2000s
Quang Binh museum re-excavation confirms Colani stratigraphy and Canarium
On the ground
Structures & features
17.4400° N · 106.6200° E · 8 m · 2 mapped features
Bau Tro Lake Terrace Habitation Horizon
settlementSlot-tooth comb ware horizon 1.2 m thick with polished shouldered axe and Canarium nuts (lake terrace crest)
17.4403° N · 106.6203° EBau Tro Meretrix Shell Midden on Dune
middenMeretrix shell heap 40×15 m on dune foot with Hoabinhian pebble chopper at base
17.4397° N · 106.6197° E