• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.7
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• pp.11-24
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• 2006

Plate armour is an important cultural property that reflects the ancient weaponry and the manufacturing technology of ironware as they are. Among the kinds of iron armour, horizontal plate armour has been very rarely excavated, and there are a few artifacts in their unimpaired shape like the plate armour excavated from Mangisanseong. This report reviews the manufacturing technology of ancient plate armour through its radiograph using appliable nondestructive irradiation and scientific conservation treatment. The seven-tiered plate armour excavated from Mangisanseong has ring hinge to open and shut the right side neck guard. The readout result of radiograph proved iron safety guard of Godaepan (a plate that links neck plate and horizontal plate) and leather safety guard of the right armpit with plate overlap and perforation interval; perforations that seem to have linked shoulder strap on wearing the armour are also observed. In particular, it is identified that the perforation and riveting technique avoided the connection of more than three plates with a rivet. This is an important material to illustrate the best use of function of plate armour overcoming its limit.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2015

During the reign of King Sejong (世宗, 1418-1450) in the Joseon Dynasty, there were lots of astronomical instruments, including miniaturized ones. Those instruments utilized the technical know-how acquired through building contemporary astronomical instruments previously developed in the Song(宋), Jin(金), and Yuan(元) dynasties of China. In those days, many astronomical instruments had circles, rings, and spheres carved with a scale of 365.25, 100, and 24 parts, respectively, on their circumference. These were called the celestial-circumference degree, hundred-interval (Baekgak), and 24 direction, respectively. These scales are marked by the angular distance, not by the angle. Therefore, these circles, rings, and spheres had to be optimized in size to accomodate proper scales. Assuming that the scale system is composed of integer multiples of unit length, we studied the sizes of circles by referring to old articles and investigating existing artifacts. We discovered that the star chart of Cheonsang yeolcha bunyajido was drawn with a royal standard ruler (周尺) based on the unit length of 207 mm. Interestingly, its circumference was marked by the unit scale of 3 puns per 1 du (or degree) like Honsang (a celestial globe). We also found that Hyeonju ilgu (a equatorial sundial) has a Baekgak disk on a scale of 1 pun per 1 gak (that is an interval of time similar to a quarter). This study contributes to the analysis of specifications of numerous circular elements from old Korean astronomical instruments.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.273-291
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• 2016

Some ceramic artifacts representing time-wise from comb pattern pottery in the Neolithic Age to white porcelain in Joseon Dynasty were selected from 7 sites in the north and south area of Charyeong Mountain Range in order to making techniques interpretation and development process of ancient ceramics through physicochemical and mineralogical quantitative analysis. Studied pottery samples in the Prehistoric times showed trace of ring piling in soft-type, and pottery in the Three Kingdoms Period had both soft and hard-type but kettle-ware and storage-ware were made with ring piling, but table-ware was made by wheel spinning. Different from pottery after the Three Kingdom Period when refinement of source clay was high, pottery in the Neolithic Age and in the Bronze Age exhibited highly mineral content in sandy source clay, which showed a lot of larger temper than source clay. Groundmass of celadon and white porcelain almost did not reveal primary minerals but had high content of minerals by high temperature firing. Ceramic samples showed some different in major and minor elements according to sites irrespective of times. Geochemical behaviors are very similar indicating similar basic characteristics of source clay. However, loss-on-ignition showed 0.01 to 12.59wt.% range with a large deviation but it rapidly decreased moving from the Prehistoric times to the Three Kingdom Period. They have correlation with the weight loss due to firings, according to burning degree of source clay and detection of high temperature minerals, estimated firing temperatures are classified into 5 groups. Pottery in the Neolithic Age and in the Bronze Age belongs from 750 to $850^{\circ}C$ group; pottery in the Three Kingdom Period are variously found in 750 to $1,100^{\circ}C$ range of firing temperature; and it is believed celadon and white porcelain were baked in high temperature of 1,150 to $1,250^{\circ}C$. It seems difference between refinement of source clay and firing temperature based on production times resulted from change in raw material supply and firing method pursuant to development of production skill. However, there was difference in production methods even at the same period and it is thought that they were utilized according to use purpose and needs instead of evolved development simply to one direction.

• 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.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.10
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• pp.43-61
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• 2009

The Buyeo National Museum was requested conservation treatment for wooden objects excavated from three Baekje archeological sites: Neungsan-ri, Ssangbuk-ri, and Gungnamji Pond. Prior to conservation treatment, analysis was conducted to identify the species used. The results of the analysis revealed wood from diverse species of trees including Hard pine, Cryptomeria japonica D. Don, Zelkova serrata Makino, Quercus spp., Platycarya strobilaceae S. et Z., Castanea spp., Torreya nucifera S. et Z., Taxus cuspidata S. et Z., and Salix spp. A high percentage of the objects were made of Cryptomeria japonica D. Don., a species native to Japan, which indicates that exchange with Japan was active at that time. Among the wooden objects, we analyzed lacquer fragments from six pieces of lacquerware, and the characteristics of the lacquer fragments were peculiar to specific artifacts. Most of the fragments were thicker than 100 ㎛. Pure lacquer and mixed black pigment were used. Infrared spectroscopy of the lacquered wooden fragments revealed that they had a very similar absorption band as refined lacquer, confirming that they were painted with lacquer. For their conservation, we immersed the objects in a high molecular weight aqueous solution of PEG#3,350 (10% → 50%) to strengthen them before vacuum freeze-drying.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1992 no.05
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• pp.27-47
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• 1992

Engineers have developed new instruments that aid in diagnosis and therapy Ultrasonic imaging has provided a nondamaging method of imaging internal organs. A complex transducer emits ultrasonic waves at many angles and reconstructs a map of internal anatomy and also velocities of blood in vessels. Fast computed tomography permits reconstruction of the 3-dimensional anatomy and perfusion of the heart at 20-Hz rates. Positron emission tomography uses certain isotopes that produce positrons that react with electrons to simultaneously emit two gamma rays in opposite directions. It locates the region of origin by using a ring of discrete scintillation detectors, each in electronic coincidence with an opposing detector. In magnetic resonance imaging, the patient is placed in a very strong magnetic field. The precessing of the hydrogen atoms is perturbed by an interrogating field to yield two-dimensional images of soft tissue having exceptional clarity. As an alternative to radiology image processing, film archiving, and retrieval, picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are being implemented. Images from computed radiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, and ultrasound are digitized, transmitted, and stored in computers for retrieval at distributed work stations. In electrical impedance tomography, electrodes are placed around the thorax. 50-kHz current is injected between two electrodes and voltages are measured on all other electrodes. A computer processes the data to yield an image of the resistivity of a 2-dimensional slice of the thorax. During fetal monitoring, a corkscrew electrode is screwed into the fetal scalp to measure the fetal electrocardiogram. Correlations with uterine contractions yield information on the status of the fetus during delivery To measure cardiac output by thermodilution, cold saline is injected into the right atrium. A thermistor in the right pulmonary artery yields temperature measurements, from which we can calculate cardiac output. In impedance cardiography, we measure the changes in electrical impedance as the heart ejects blood into the arteries. Motion artifacts are large, so signal averaging is useful during monitoring. An intraarterial blood gas monitoring system permits monitoring in real time. Light is sent down optical fibers inserted into the radial artery, where it is absorbed by dyes, which reemit the light at a different wavelength. The emitted light travels up optical fibers where an external instrument determines O2, CO2, and pH. Therapeutic devices include the electrosurgical unit. A high-frequency electric arc is drawn between the knife and the tissue. The arc cuts and the heat coagulates, thus preventing blood loss. Hyperthermia has demonstrated antitumor effects in patients in whom all conventional modes of therapy have failed. Methods of raising tumor temperature include focused ultrasound, radio-frequency power through needles, or microwaves. When the heart stops pumping, we use the defibrillator to restore normal pumping. A brief, high-current pulse through the heart synchronizes all cardiac fibers to restore normal rhythm. When the cardiac rhythm is too slow, we implant the cardiac pacemaker. An electrode within the heart stimulates the cardiac muscle to contract at the normal rate. When the cardiac valves are narrowed or leak, we implant an artificial valve. Silicone rubber and Teflon are used for biocompatibility. Artificial hearts powered by pneumatic hoses have been implanted in humans. However, the quality of life gradually degrades, and death ensues. When kidney stones develop, lithotripsy is used. A spark creates a pressure wave, which is focused on the stone and fragments it. The pieces pass out normally. When kidneys fail, the blood is cleansed during hemodialysis. Urea passes through a porous membrane to a dialysate bath to lower its concentration in the blood. The blind are able to read by scanning the Optacon with their fingertips. A camera scans letters and converts them to an array of vibrating pins. The deaf are able to hear using a cochlear implant. A microphone detects sound and divides it into frequency bands. 22 electrodes within the cochlea stimulate the acoustic the acoustic nerve to provide sound patterns. For those who have lost muscle function in the limbs, researchers are implanting electrodes to stimulate the muscle. Sensors in the legs and arms feed back signals to a computer that coordinates the stimulators to provide limb motion. For those with high spinal cord injury, a puff and sip switch can control a computer and permit the disabled person operate the computer and communicate with the outside world.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.54-73
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• 2012

In this article, we examined the patterns of activities of the Sarmathians though in a humble measure, with a focus on the regions where the Sarmathian sheaths spreaded. One of the main weapons the mounted nomads like the Scythias, the Sarmathians, and the Alans used at war was a spear. Though complementary, a sword was the most convenient and appropriate weapon when fighting at a near distance, fallen from the horse to the ground. The Sarmathian swords continued the tradition of the Akinakes which the Scythias or the Persians used, but those of the Sarmathians showed some advances in terms of the easiness with which a sword was drawn out from a sheath, and the way the sheaths were worn to parts of a human body. It turns out that the Sarmathian sheaths, which were designed for the people to draw swords easily, having the sheaths attached to thighs through 4 bumps, spread extensively from Pazyryk, Altai, to South Siberia, Bactria, Parthia and Rome. The most noteworthy out of all the Sarmathian sheaths were the ones that were excavated from the 4th tomb in Tillatepe, Afghanistan which belonged to the region of Bactria. The owner of the fourth tomb of Tilla-tepe whose region was under the control of Kushan Dynasty at that time, was buried wearing Sarmathian swords, and regarded as a big shot in the region of Bactria which was also under the governance of Kushan Dynasty. The fact that the owner of the tomb wore two swords suggests that there had been active exchange between Bactria and Sarmathia. It seemed that the reason why the Sarmathians could play an important role in the exchange between the East and the West might have something to do with their role of supplying Chinese goods to Silk Road. That's why we are interested in how the copper mirrors of Han Dynasty, decoration beads like melon-type beads, crystal beads and goldring articulated beads, and the artifacts of South China which produced silks were excavated in the northern steppe route where the Sarmathians actively worked. Our study have established that the eye beads discovered in Sarmathian tomb estimated to have been built around the 1st century B.C. were reprocessed in China, and then imported to Sarmathia again. We should note the Huns as a medium between the Sarmathians and the South China which were far apart from each other. Thus gold-ring articulated beads which were spread out mainly across the South China has been discovered in the Huns' remains. On the other hand, between 2nd century B.C. and 2nd century A.D. which were main periods of the Sarmathians, it was considered that the traffic route connecting the steppe route and the South China might be West-South silk road which started from Yunnan, passed through Myanmar, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and then went into the east of India. The West-south Silk road is presumed to have been used by nomadic tribes who wanted to get the goods from South China before the Oasis route was activated by the Han Dynasty's policy of managing the countries bordering on Western China.