Ancient burial jars that are over 2,000 years old are now on display in Da Nang museums. They belong to the Sa Huynh civilization and offer a rare glimpse into how this long‑lost culture honored its dead.

Large ceramic jars were used as upright coffins and buried vertically underground. Archaeologists have uncovered many shapes – cylindrical, spherical and egg‑shaped – and a variety of lids, even finding double‑jar burials where one jar fits inside another.

Inside many jars archaeologists found iron and bronze tools, as well as agate and glass beads. These grave goods show the Sa Huynh people expected the dead to need items in the afterlife.

According to Le Thi Phuong Thao, an artifact collection manager and tour guide at the Sa Huynh‑Champa Culture Museum, the sites at Go Dua (about 2,100 years old), Go Ma Voi (about 2,400 years old) and Lai Nghi reveal several burial practices. Charcoal, ash and human bones indicate cremation, primary burial and secondary burial were all used.

The ceramic coffins teach us that the Sa Huynh civilization combined sophisticated pottery techniques with complex spiritual ideas. Their burial jars, shapes, and accompanying goods together illustrate a rich belief in an afterlife and diverse funerary customs.