A series of traces revealing the most sufficient evidence of culturallayers dating from the 11th century to 20th century have been detectedin the Kinh Thien Palace of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel’s centralsection.

According to information released by the ThangLong-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre and the Institute of Archaeologyat a seminar in Hanoi on December 16, recent archaeological excavationsin the section uncovered major architectural vestiges of the Ly Dynasty(the 11th century) and dynasties afterwards, including wall foundation,brick-paved yard, especially a big water supply and drainage system.

Besides,excavators unearthed parts of the Palace, overlapped by cultural layersof the Le So (1428-1528) and Le Trung Hung (1533-1789) dynasties.Architectural traces from the Tran Dynasty (the 13th century) were alsofound, but they were damaged seriously.

Most of archaeologicalfindings are various kinds of architectural material, especially greenand yellow glaze roofing tiles of the Le So period.

Phan Huy Le,Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences said theresults of the excavations do not only help specify cultural layers butalso show where the centre of the Citadel is, and provide acomprehensive view on the architecture of the Citadel.

At theseminar, representatives from the Centre and the Institute suggestedfurther archeological excavations towards the relic site’s East todiscover more architectural vestiges in the time ahead.

The ThangLong Imperial Citadel was built in the 11th century by the Ly dynasty,marking the independence of the Dai Viet. The Royal Citadel’s centralsection was listed in UNESCO's World Heritage Site on July 31, 2010.-VNA