• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.264-271
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• 2019

Cheomseongdae in Gyeongju, known as an astronomical observatory, is a cultural monument with great historical, academic, and artistic value, as its unique shape is preserved well in its original form. The outer structure, ground stability, and seismic reliability of Cheomseongdae have been assessed by numerous researchers through various scientific methods, but research on the underground structure has been insufficient. This paper contains detailed models of the underground structure of Cheomseongdae interpreted in 2D and 3D images based on the data acquired through GPR surveys conducted of features in and around the base of Cheomseongdae. As a result, the existence of twelve small features arranged in a circle, although only about half of them remain, was confirmed at a depth of 0.4 - 0.6m. Furthermore, a structure three bays long (north-south direction) and four bays wide (east-west direction) was detected beneath Cheomseongdae at the depth of 0.7 - 1.0m. Other than 2 layers of foundations as is known, a square structure with the dimensions of 7m × 7m is situated at a depth of 0.6m, directly under Cheomseongdae, and what is reading that is expected to be the foundation structure of Cheomseongdae was detected and confirmed. This foundation structure is circular with a diameter in the east-west direction of 11m and in the north-south direction of 12m. The northern, western, and eastern edges of this foundation structure are about 1m away from the foundation of Cheomseongdae, whereas the the south side extends to about 5m wide.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.126-155
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• 2016

This article deals with some issues with respect to the Mahan pottery excavated from the tombs. Pedestal jars with cover, small round-bottom jars, cylindrical pottery etc. had appeared in the interaction with the northern region in the dimension of the southern Korean peninsula. Especially, these relics had an important role at the route connecting the midwest region, Chungcheong(忠淸) inland and Yeongnam(嶺南) region. By this stage, the iron culture was similar to each other in the southern Korean peninsula. In addition to the inland route, the coastal passage along the west coast seems to have been used. Such signs are found in cylindrical pottery and Pedestal jars with cover. It was probably a natural phenomenon that the most powerful forces of Mahan appeared at this crossroad of cultural exchange. The unique style of Mahan pottery such as double-rim pottery had been established since the third century. After the third century, Mahan pottery varied by region depending on the tomb style. The difference roughly matches with the variations of the tomb style. But at the region of Bungumyo(mounded tomb), specific pottery such double-rim pottery had been prevalent than in other regions. And a specific style had been used in a narrow range. The pottery spread to the neighboring regions in the course of interaction and were also used in ritual practices.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.158-171
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• 2023

Pottery filled with organic materials was excavated from the G-2 building site of Yongjangseong Fortress, Jingo, a relic of the Goryeo Dynasty. In this study, the characteristics of organic material were confirmed by a scientific analysis of organic material in pottery found at the palace in Yongjangseong, Jindo. In addition, it was intended to review the analysis method to identify the natural resin and to secure characteristic components(biomarkers) for each natural resin and use them as basic data in the future. The organic materials in the pottery were analyzed using attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy(ATR-FTIR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The infrared spectral characteristics were estimated to be natural resin, and biomarkers of organic materials were identified as sesquiterpene-based compounds(C₁₅H₂₄, MW 204) and derivatives. The lacquer(T.vemicifluum) is composed mainly of alkenes, alkanes, and catechol. Pine resin(P.densiflora), on the other hand, is primarily composed of diterpenoid(abietic acid, pimaric acid) and Whangchil(yellow lacquer) is identified to have sesquiterpenes(such as selinene, muurolene, calamenene) as its main components. So, the organic material in the pottery can be identified as Whangchil by comparing their compounds with modern resin materials from Dendropanax. morbifera that correspond with the results. Whangchil, which is exuded from the Dendropanax. morbifera, has been used as a natural coating materials since ancient times, and it has been confirmed that the characteristic components are well preserved even 700 years later. It can be assumed that the interior Whangchil was stored not for use as a coating, but rather for ritual purposes when the building was constructed, because the pottery was found near the cornerstone. Furthermore, based on simplified sample preparation using pyrolysis-gas chromatography mass spectrometry(Py-GC-MS), the thermal decomposition products were found to be similar to the characteristic components, suggesting that this method can be applied to the identification of natural resins used in historic artifacts.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.33-39
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• 2000

A well-bucket excavated from Seobu-dong, Kyungju was characterized and conserved. The bucket was heavily degraded by a diverse set of microorganisms during its long-term storage in the burial site. The distribution of maximum saturated moisture content was in the range of 614-1050%. The identification of species using optical microscope showed that the species was Pinus densiflora. The dimensional stability of the bucket was examined using sucrose as a dimension-stabilizing agent. The concentration of sucrose was started at 10% level and raised to 30, 50, 70% for 8 weeks. The changes of weight increase were varied with concentration. When the concentration of sucrose reached to 30%, 50%, the bucket showed the significant increase of weight, especially. Epoxy adhesives was used for the joining and restoring. Dimensional change and crack were not observed afterward.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.260-285
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• 2021

This article deals with the current status of investigation of the royal tombs of Baekje (Gongju Songsan-ri Tomb, Buyeo Neungsan-ri Tomb, Iksan Ssangneung) from the Japanese colonial period to the present. A review of the maintenance status is also conducted to see if the survey content was actually reflected in the restoration maintenance of the ruins. First, the structure scale and characteristics of the royal tombs of Baekje during the Woongjin and Sabi periods were identified by examining the survey content organized by period and feature. Through the recent re-excavation survey, it was confirmed that the results of the research during the Japanese colonial period were being verified. Next, before examining the maintenance status of the Baekje royal tombs, related content about maintenance of laws and regulations were extracted to establish the maintenance standards. It was confirmed that the most importance part of maintenance is 'maintenance of the original form' without compromising the authenticity of cultural properties. Based on these criteria, the maintenance status was reviewed. The main part of the burial tomb is located underground, so maintenance is mainly made around the tomb, which is the upper structure. However, most of the original burial mounds have been lost or damaged, so it is difficult to determine their original form. In fact, constant changes in the size and location of tombs from the Japanese colonial period to the present were confirmed in the Songsan-ri and Neungsan-ri tombs, meaning that the current maintenance status is problematic. On the other hand, in the case of Ssangneung, not only are the tombs relatively intact, but there are also few changes in the records, so it seems that maintenance was carried out that preserved the original form of the tombs. Therefore, the maintenance of tombs in the future should be based on 'maintaining the original form', but it is recommended that the 'education and utilization' plan be prepared after determining whether or not to restore the tomb and the degree of restoration.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.216-233
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• 2020

This study set out to review tomb culture in the Gyeongju region during the Bronze Age, and also examine the patterns of dolmens during their end phase. For these purposes, the study analyzed 18 tomb relics from the Bronze Age and nine from the early Iron Age. Gyeongju belongs to the Geomdan-ri cultural zone. Approximately 120 tombs from the Bronze Age have been excavated in the Gyeongju region. There are fewer tombs than dwellings in the region, which is a general characteristic of the Geomdan-ri cultural zone. Although the number of tombs is small, the detailed structure of the dead body is varied. During the Bronze Age, tombs in the Gyeongju region were characterized by more prolific construction of pit tombs, dolmens with boundaries, and stacked stone altars than were the cases in other areas. There is a great possibility that the pit tombs in the Gyeongju region were influenced by their counterparts in the northeastern parts of North Korea, given the spindle whorl artifacts buried at the Dongsan-ri sites. Dolmens with boundaries and stacked stone altars are usually distributed in the Songguk-ri cultural zone, and it is peculiar that instances of these are found in large numbers in the Gyeongju region as part of the Geomdanri cultural zone. Even in the early Iron Age, the building of dolmens with boundaries and stacked stone altars continued in the Gyeongju region under the influence of the Bronze Age. A new group of people moved into the area, and they crafted ring-rimmed pottery and built wooden coffin tombs. In the early Iron Age, new rituals performed in high places also appeared, and were likely to provide venues for memorial services for heavenly gods in town-center areas. The Hwacheon-ri Mt. 251-1 relic and the Jukdong-ri relic are ruins that exhibit the aspect of rituals performed in high places well. In these rituals performed in high places, a stacked stone altar was built with the same form as the dolmens with boundaries, and a similar rock to the cover stone of a dolmen was used. People continued to build and use dolmens with boundaries and stacked stone altars while sustaining the Bronze Age traditions, even into the early Iron Age, because the authority of dolmens was maintained. Some dolmens with boundaries and stacked stone altars, known as being Bronze Age in origin, would have continued to be used in ritual practices until the early Iron Age. Entering the latter half of the second century B.C., wooden coffin tombs began to propagate. This was the time when the southern provinces, including the Gyeongju region, were included in the East Asian network, with the spread of ironware culture and the arrival of artifacts from central China. Around this time, dolmen culture faded into history with a new era beginning in its place.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.160-171
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• 2019

The sword with a ring pommel, which was excavated from the first stone chamber of the ancient tombs of Jeongchon Village in Naju, is a sword with a pentagon undecorated ring pommel consisting of a mother sword and two child swords. The sword with an undecorated ring pommel of Jeongchon comprises a ring pommel, a hilt, a knife, and a knife end decoration. This sword was coated with lacquer. The ring pommel is an iron frame covered with silver plate; however the silver tarnished into a light purple due to silver chloride corrosion, and iron corrosion originated from the inside is visible on the surface. Silver chloride corrosion is produced when silver objects are exposed to water, dissolved salts, and dissolved chloride ions when in a buried state. It changes objects into powder, making it difficult to preserve original shapes. The other silver artifacts found in the Jeongchon ancient tombs show similar signs of corrosion. The results of X-ray irradiation and a CT analysis showed that the sword had a ring at the end of the handle, a T-shaped hilt, and was probably connected to the handle end of a knife. If the shape of the mother sword can be inferred from the child swords, the mother sword had a ring pommel, decorations of the handle, covered with silver plate, and a gold ring and a silver line wound around the handle. It is assumed that the ring pommel was connected to the knife by welding because no holes were observed. The end decoration of the knife was made by using an iron plate formed into a shape, half covered by silk, and the other half decorated with silver plate and a gold ring. The sword with an undecorated ring pommel excavated from the ancient tombs of Jeongchon Village comprises the metals of gold, silver, and iron, and includes features of Baekje, Silla, and Gaya, which highlights the influence of surrounding historic sites and various cultures.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.316-323
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• 2011

To test the applicability of resistivity survey methods for the archaeological prospection of a large-scale tumulus, a three-dimensional resistivity survey was conducted at the $3^{rd}$ tumulus at Bokam-ri, in Naju city, South Korea. Since accurate topographic relief of the tumulus and electrode locations are required to obtain a high resolution image of the subsurface, electrodes were installed after making grids by threads, which is commonly used in the archaeological investigation. In the data acquisition, data were measured using a 2 m electrode spacing with the line spacing of 1 m and each survey line was shifted 1 m to form an effective grid of 1 m ${\times}$ 1 m. Though the 3-D inversion of data, we could obtain the 3-D image of the tumulus, where we could identify the brilliant signature of buried tombs made of stones. The results were compared with the previous excavation results and we could convince that a 3-D resistivity imaging method is very useful to investigate a large-scale tumulus.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.247-256
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• 2012

Amber has been used as gemstones and artifacts from the period of the Three Kingdoms or earlier, which are discovered in the process of excavation now. It is, however, very difficult to discuss the importing route and circulation of amber because there are no informations available on the provenance. In this study, we acquired the IR spectra of ambers originating from 5 different locations. We also monitored the change of characteristic IR peaks by artificially aging the ambers under heat, light and heat with oxygen, respectively. As the aging proceeded, the intensity of C=O band and O-H band increased, however, the bands related with C=C bond decreased. There needed some modifications in the discerning scheme because some peak disappeared with aging; yet, it was still possible to discern different ambers largely. Therefore, it is expected that the scheme can be used practically by appraising its applicability to the real amber relics excavated.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.44-67
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• 2016

This article studied the character of Bogamri group and trends in the surrounding area through recently excavated stone chambers. The first type of stone chamber constructed at Bogamni cemetry was Northen Kyushu style stone chamber tomb with corridor. However, According to recent survey Wa style vertical stone lined tomb had constructed earlier than these stone chamber along the southwest cost. It is likely that the background of these Wa style stone tomb was the beginning of formal diplomatic relations between Baekje and Wa. At first, grave goods as well as burial had been Wa style, but gradually local burial element and mortuary practices added. And large tomb had beginning to appear. The representative tombs are Yeongam Okyari Jangdong tomb and Naju Gaheugni Shinhueng tomb. They were built in the middle of the fifth century. It is most likely that the location was selected with regard to the use or securing of inland waterway. But the next step, Yeongsangang river style stone chamber with corridor had constructed at Jeongchon tomb. That tomb is very close to Bogamni tombs and structure and grave goods are very similar also. So these two groups were considered to be the same community. Hereby, It is believed that the inland waterway using power had been turned over to Bogamni group. Bogamni group had constantly constructed stone chamber until seventh century. This represent that Bogamni group had thrived as a leading force in the Yeongsangang river basin. After under the direct control of Baekje, Bogamni group had continued the close relationship with Wa. For this reason, Bogamni group had influenced southwest cost as well as Yeongsangang river basin. It can be estimated by the Bogamni style stone chamber founded at islands of Shinan.