Ngoc Lu drum

The Ngoc Lu drum is regarded as one of the most important and prominent artifacts of the Dong Son culture of the Bronze Age, a civilisation that flourished in around the 2nd to 3rd century BC in the Red River Delta of Vietnam.

[1] The Ngoc Lu drum is the first artifact on the list of 30 items recognised as National Treasures of Vietnam for the first time in 2012.

[2] The drum was accidentally discovered in 1893 in Hà Nam Province, southeast of Hanoi, by workers building a dike, rather than during a planned expedition.

In contrast to most other drums of the Dong Son, the tympanum bears three concentric panels, which depict animals or humans, interleaved with bands of geometric or circular patterns.

The men are wearing a type of kilt and highly feathered headgear, which includes a figure in the shape of a bird's head.

[1] There is also a scene where one standing person and three seated people are brandishing long poles that appear to be used to strike a row of drums placed in front of them.