Species Identification of Wood Coffins in Chosun Dynasty Period Excavated in Andong Area

Three wood coffins of Chosun Dynasty period buried about 450 years ago were excavated in the sound condition in Andong area in the early 1998. The proprietors of wood coffins were grandparents, Mr. Myoung Jong Lee and Mrs. Mun, and their grandson, Mr. Eung Tae Lee, and the social standing of their family was known to belong to the nobility in those days by the clan genealogy. All the wood coffins investigated through light microscopy had same anatomical characteristics as follows: abrupt to somewhat abrupt tracheid transition from earlywood to latewood; normal longitudinal and horizontal resin canals with thin-walled epithelium; tylosoids in resin canals; bordered pits frequently in 1 row on radial walls of tracheids; 1 or 2 window-like pits per cross-field; uniseriate and fusiform rays; heterogeneous rays composed of body ray parenchyma cells and marginal ray tracheids or homgeneous rays composed of only ray tracheids; dentate ray tracheids; occasional trabeculae traversing tracheids in radial direction. Based on theses microscopic characteristics, all the wood coffins were identified to be Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) or Korean black pine (Pinus thunbergii). Korean black pine growing naturally in coastal area might not be probable because the site of excavation, Andong area, was mountainous and inland area of Korea Thus, Korean red pine was thought to be the possible species for the wood coffins because of its natural distribution through the Korean Peninsula and the easy availability.