First discovered in May, researchers announced on Monday that the military device came from the Netherlands and was likely owned by the Nguyen Dynasty.
A 200-kilogram bronze cannon was first unearthed at a sea dyke construction site; the Museum of Da Nang tasked Nguyen Quang Trung Tien, a researcher from the Hue University of Sciences, with finding out its origins, according to Tuoi Tre. After two months of study, he concluded that it is likely around 350 years old and the hand-inscribed Chinese characters that served as gunner instructions suggest it belonged to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).
Other notable features of the 174.1-centimeter-long cannon include ornate laurels and symbolic tulip flowers of the Netherlands. A stylized dolphin, phoenix, roses and pomegranates can also be seen on it. These decorations and other design elements are also observed on three other Dutch cannons dating from 1640, 1661 and 1677–1678 that are currently housed at the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities.
The cannon was discovered in a construction site of a sea dyke in Da Nang's Lien Chieu District. Photo via Lao Dong.
Most of these cannons were either gifts or traded goods owned by the Trinh Dynasty or items the Nguyen lords recovered from sunken Dutch vessels. Cracks and other signs of wear suggest this particular weapon had seen significant combat.
Tien theorized that the Nguyen Dynasty could have taken the cannon from the Dien Hai Citadel during their 1858 retreat from the area, or that it may have been buried by soldiers who remained in the coastal region so it wouldn't fall into enemy hands.
The municipal government gave the workers who found the cannon VND15 million (US$645) when the museum received it.
[Photo via VnExpress]
