Lecture at college to describe Vietnamese archaeological dig

Le Thi Lien, a leading Vietnamese archaeologist, visits Bates College to discuss her involvement in a major archaeological site in Hanoi at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 29, in Room 104, Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St.

Sponsored by the art and visual culture department, the lecture is open to the public at no charge. For more information, please call 207-786-6135.

Located in Hanoi’s center, the Ba Dinh Site is the most important recent archaeological find in Vietnam. Dating back to the eighth century, the site encompasses the remains of a palace and citadel.

Lien was among the archaeologists from the Vietnam Institute of Archeology who, in December 2002, excavated an area of 48,000 square meters originally designated for the construction of a new National Assembly House and National Conference Hall. The excavation uncovered thousands of valuable artifacts.

In her talk at Bates, Lien will discuss findings from the site, including the layout of the ancient palace and citadel, building materials, ceramics, everyday utensils and human remains.

Lien was involved with the excavation project until April 2004. Trained in Vietnam, India and the United States, she is a well-known archaeologist in Vietnam. Currently she is a research fellow at Harvard University and is at work on a book.