As many as 24 prehistoric archaeological sites have been spotted in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai recently, promising new excavations to be carried out to shed more light on these times in Vietnam’s history.

Assoc. Prof. and Dr. Nguyen Khac Su from the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology said in two months of surveying areas in Dak Po, Kbang and Kong Chro districts and An Khe township, experts found tools typical for the Palaeolithic Era (Old Stone Age) dating back to 10,000 – 30,000 years ago.

Notable, they unearthed some stone tools in An Khe that are believed to belong to the early and middle Old Stone Age from some hundreds of thousands of years ago. They are found to be much older than those that have been uncovered in Vietnam so far, he said.

Some of the digging sites are believed to appear in the late Neolithic Era (New Stone Age) and the Early Metal Period like opal axe making workshops as old as 4,000 years in H’Lang village, Kong Chro district.

In some places, archaeologists dug up traces of the Metal Period such as stone hoe blades, bronze axe moulds and blast furnaces.

Dr. Nguyen Gia Doi, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Archaeology Institute, said authorised agencies need to take immediate measures to protect the newly-found sites. At the same time, researches should be conducted systematically to clarify their values throughout the country’s history.-VNA