Fifteen bronze relics, 14 jade beads and three stone arrowheads are unearthed from a pit burial site in Sedo-myeon in Buyeo-gun County, Chungcheongnam-do Province.
A collection of bronze relics has been discovered in Buyeo-gun County in Chungcheongnam-do Province.
The discovery was made at a construction site for a new solar power plant just last July, when an ancient pit burial mound was unearthed, revealing the scattered relics. The Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage soon stepped in and began excavating the site and found 15 historic bronze relics, including a slender bronze dagger (세형동검, 細形銅劍), a spear-shaped bell that was likely used during ancestral rite ceremonies, and a patterned mirror.
A number of bronze weapons and tools were also found, including four spearheads (투겁창, 銅鉾) with a fixture for the handle, one spike (꺽창, 銅戈) that attached at 90 degrees to a handle, an axe head, two carving tools, and two chisels. In the mix were also some 14 pieces of jade beads and three arrowheads made of stone.
A patterned mirror and a spear-shaped bell, both made of bronze, are unearthed at a burial site in Buyeo-gun County in Chungcheongnam-do Province.
Three spearheads with a fixture for the handle, one spike (꺽창, 銅戈) that attached at 90 degrees to the handle, a slender dagger and a large spearhead, all made of bronze, are discovered at a burial site in Buyeo-gun County in Chungcheongnam-do Province.
The pit burial mound was placed at the peak of a hill, 17 meters above sea level, around two kilometers from the Geumgang River. Whoever built the tomb dug 1.5 meters into the weathered bedrock and placed a wooden coffin inside. According to the Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, the type and grade of the relics found give an indication that the burial site was built in the second century B.C. for someone of high rank.
The research institute also studied the level of corrosion and found that many of the relics were made of bronze mined from different regions. The patterned mirror was made of bronze found in mines in the Chungcheong-do and Jeolla-do provinces, while the bell was made from bronze mined near Taebaeksan Mountain. Researchers believe the bronze used for the other relics was likely sourced from the Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gangwon-do provinces.
Lee Eun Seok, a researcher at the Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, said, "Based on our research, which shows that the bronze used to make the various relics was sourced from different mines, we think that the relics were made separately in each region or that a trading of raw materials took place during ancient times."
The newly discovered relics will be revealed to the public for only two days on May 10 and 11 at the Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.
By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Cultural Heritage Administration
hlee10@korea.kr
(From left) A bronze axe head, two chisels and a carving tool, and are found at an excavation site in Buyeo-gun County, Chungcheongnam-do Province.
A handful of beads and spearheads made of stone are unearthed along with some bronze relics in Buyeo-gun County, Chungcheongnam-do Province.
