Lạc Việt

The
Lạc Việt or
Luoyue ( or ; ←
Middle Chinese: *''lɑk̚-ɦʉɐt̚'' ←
Old Chinese *''râk-wat'') were an ancient conglomeration of peoples inhabiting northern Vietnam, particularly the ancient
Red River Delta, from approximately 700 BC to 100 AD, during the last stage of the
Neolithic and the beginning of the period of classical antiquity. They spoke
Kra-Dai and
Austroasiatic languages. From archaeological perspectives, they were known as the Dongsonian. The ''Lạc Việt'' were known for casting large Heger Type I bronze drums, cultivating paddy rice, and constructing dikes. The Lạc Việt who owned the
Bronze Age Đông Sơn culture, which centered at the
Red River Delta (in
Northern Vietnam), are proposed to be the ancestors of the modern
Kinh Vietnamese; another population of Luoyue, who inhabited the
Zuo river's valley (now in modern
Southern China), are proposed to be the ancestors of the modern
Zhuang people; additionally, the Luoyue population in southern China are proposed to be ancestors of the
Hlai people.
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