Chất liệu tiền kim loại Đại Việt thời Hậu Lê (thế kỷ XV-XVIII)

Tóm tắt

Coins of the Hậu Lê period (15th - 18th centuries) are an important research subject of the history, economy and culture of Đại Việt. This paper presents the results of the analysis of the material composition of 96 coins of the Hậu Lê period (15th -18th centuries) found in archaeological excavations at Thăng Long Imperial Citadel, Xích Thổ communal house (Quảng Ninh) and collected at Ninh Bình Museum. The study shows that the Lê sơ period’s coins were mainly copper-lead-tin alloys, in which copper accounted for the highest proportion, over 55%, followed by lead (16-31%) and tin (2.31- 11.12%). From the time of Lê Hiến Tông, the proportion of copper gradually decreased to below 60% while lead increased to over 27% and tin also tended to increase. To the Lê Trung hưng period, the composition became more complex with the common appearance of zinc, in addition to copper, lead, and tin, creating many different types of alloys and unstable proportions of substances, reflecting the change in casting techniques, and at the same time showing the lack of control because the royal court no longer had a monopoly on casting. Notably, the appearance of zinc suggests the possibility that Vietnam possessed zinc metallurgy techniques before zinc was recorded as imported in the late 18th century. The study emphasizes the importance of building a reliable database of metal composition analysis, including matched samples, to further clarify issues related to the origin, age, and metallurgy techniques in Vietnamese ancient numismatics.