National Museum of Korea

National Museum of Korea 1. Prehistoric and Ancient History Gallery 1 2. Prehistoric and Ancient History Gallery 2 - 1 - Prehistoric and Ancient 1. The Paleolithic Age, the First Culture History Gallery 1 in History We have now arrived in the Paleolithic Room. During the Paleolithic Age, humans started to use fire, invented tools, and developed a culture. The first humans inhabited Korea from about 700,000 years ago. They were hunter-gatherers and led a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place to find sufficient food and seeking shelter in caves or on the banks of rivers. The people of the Paleolithic Age initially used natural stones as tools, but gradually began to break and shape them to remove their efficiency. Large, clumsy tools were used at first, but over time the tools were refined and a variety of sharper and smaller tools were developed for different purposes. During the later period of the Paleolithic Age, the stone tools were used in conjunction with pieces of timber or horn. As stone working techniques became even more developed, it was possible to reproduce the same tool. - 2 - Prehistoric and Ancient 2. The Making of Chipped Stone Tools History Gallery 1 [Narration] These are stone tools from the Paleolithic Age. [Tourist] They’re tools? They look like normal stones to me. [Narration] They do, yes, but they really are chipped stone tools that Paleolithic people made and used for many different purposes. [Tourist] How did they chip the stones? [Narration] The simplest method they used was to smash one stone with another stone and hope for the best! Later on, they used stone hammers or horns to chip the stone in a more directed, controlled manner. [Tourist] I see. What did they use the chipped stone tools for? [Narration] They were used for hunting and skinning animal carcasses for leather and fur to make clothes. The stone on the left is quartzite. Since it is a very hard type of stone and is found all over Korea, quartzite was the most practical stone for tool-making during the Paleolithic Age. The stone on the right is obsidian. Obsidian was commonly used to make arrowheads because it has a propensity to break into thin, sharp shards. [Tourist] So, you’re saying that Paleolithic people exploited the properties of different types of stone to invent new tools? [Narration] That’s right. They realized that different types of stones were suited to different uses. Obsidian naturally forms on the edges of lava tracts, so it is very common in volcanic regions, such as Japan. These stones were often excavated in Korea as well, suggesting that the peninsula’s Paleolithic inhabitants traded with peoples in other countries and imported their goods. - 3 - Prehistoric and Ancient 3. Hand-axe History Gallery 1 [Narration] These exhibits are hand-axes which date from the early days of the Paleolithic Age and represent the beginnings of tool development. [Tourist] But they look more like natural stones than axes. [Narration] At first glance they look like round, blunt stones, I agree. However, look carefully at the edge of the stone. Except for the handgrip part, the edge and the end of the stone are sharp. Paleolithic people used the hand-axes to skin animals and butcher carcasses into transportable chunks of meat. They were also used to dig the ground. [Tourist] So they were actually very useful tools. [Narration] Yes, they were. Although they look similar to natural stones, hand-axes were the first typical tools crafted by humans. They have been found not only in Asia but also in Africa and Europe, which indicates that they were an important tool widely used by early humans across the world. - 4 - Prehistoric and Ancient 4. Tanged Points History Gallery 1 Do you see the stone point at the end of the long spear? This is what is called a stemmed point. The stemmed point is the long, pointed spike of the stone that is inserted into the shaft of a spear. When stones were chipped, Paleolithic people oriented the stone so that the sharpest part formed the point of the spear and the stemmed point attached the stone to the shaft. They ranged in size from the length of a finger to over 10 centimeters. Spears were useful for both short- and long-distance hunting. They ensured a safe distance between beast and hunter and, moreover, a well-thrown spear had great speed and accuracy. The stemmed point was common in both Korea and Japan, indicating the possibility of early cultural exchange between the two countries. - 5 - Prehistoric and Ancient 5. The Neolithic Age, The Beginning of History Gallery 1 Settlement We are now in the Neolithic Room. About 10,000 years ago, dramatic climate change came to an end and the Earth’s climate stabilized. Mild, favorable weather conditions meant an abundance of food for everyone. This signaled the end of the nomadic way of life and the people of the Neolithic Age began to develop their own new culture. The most significant difference from the Paleolithic Age was the invention of ground stone tools. The people of the Neolithic Age adopted a more settled existence and agriculture began to flourish as a result. They farmed both crops and livestock and manufactured pottery vessels to store and cook agricultural produce. The Neolithic Age in Korea began around approximately 8,000 years B.C. Neolithic people lived by the sea or on river banks where water and food were in abundant supply. In this Neolithic Room, we will see a wide range of artifacts recovered from tombs, residences and shell mounds and through them acquire an understanding of the way of life of Neolithic people. - 6 - Prehistoric and Ancient 6. Hunting History Gallery 1 These exhibits are Neolithic hunting tools. Tools used for hunting were developed to enable greater speed and accuracy, allowing people to hunt small, fast mammals, birds and even marine animals. Bows and arrows were the most commonly used hunting weapons of the day. The small stones next to the spears are arrowheads. They were attached to arrow shafts. Small, sharp arrows were useful to hunt from a distance while swords and spears were more effective when hunting at close range. The arrowheads were made of stone or from the bones of deer and boars, and were most often found in shell mounds. Neolithic people were not wasteful: they used the meat of a hunted animal for food and its bones as materials for tools. In addition to using arrows, Neolithic people hunted with the stone spears on your right. Can you imagine how difficult hunting with equipment like this would have been? Let’s now move on to the next spot. - 7 - Prehistoric and Ancient 7. Harpoons, Composite Fishing History Gallery 1 [Narration] These are examples of Neolithic Age fishing equipment. Fishing began around 8,000 B.C in Korea. Before agriculture developed, fishing was an important means of living, along with hunting and gathering. The Neolithic people settled down near the seashores or riversides. [Tourist] Ah, I see. How did they catch fish? Umm, is the one on the right a fish hook? [Narration] Yes, they are a fish hook and a harpoon, popular fishing equipment in the Neolithic Age. These tools seem to have been used to catch big fish or see animal such as cod, tuna and whales in the East and South Sea. The object of the middle is a whale bone discovered amongst relics of the Neolithic Age. Have a close look and you will find something stuck to it. Do you recognize it? [Tourist] Umm, is it a harpoon? It looks like a harpoon, doesn’t it? [Narration] Yes, it is a harpoon, made of a whale bone. This relic supports the assumption that whaling took place in those days. [Tourist] Oh, The look so simple but they’re incredible! [Narration] Yes, they are. During the prehistoric age, people’s lives were enhanced by tools crafted from natural objects. Our prehistoric ancestors were skilled at taking advantage of the properties of natural resources. - 8 - Prehistoric and Ancient 8. Japanese Pottery, Obsidian History Gallery 1 Some unique relics are displayed here. Take a look at the shiny black stones. They are obsidian, a type of stone generally found in regions where there is volcanic activity. As obsidian is a product of lava flow, the mineral composition of the stone varies from region to region. Most of the obsidian found in Korea originates from the volcanic areas in the northern part of the peninsula and Japan. They relics lying above them are examples of Japanese-style Neolithic pottery that were excavated from shell mounds on the south coast of Korea. The shell bracelets, fishhooks and teeth of red deer are Korean in style but were also common in Japan. From these objects, we know that cultural exchange took place between Korea and Japan during the prehistoric period. Travel between the two countries occurred by sea, and there is a prehistoric rock painting in the southern region of Korea, depicting Neolithic people at sea on a boat, whaling. It is surprising to think that people traveled so far by boat in those days. - 9 - Prehistoric and Ancient 9. Dongsam-dong, Busan. Shell mounds History Gallery 1 [Female student] Wow… what are these? [Narration] These are shell mounds that were found in the ground in Dongsam-dong, Busan. Shell mounds, or middens, were a kind of Neolithic trash pile, used by people to dispose of their household waste. The middens became a repository for animal remains and fish bones and sometimes even harbored evidence of graves, houses and cooking fires.

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