Buyeo National Museum

Buyeo National Museum 1. Exhibition Room 1 2. Exhibition Room 2 3. Exhibition Room 3 - 1 - Exhibition Room 1 1. Songguk-ri Style Pottery [Tourist] This vessel has a very narrow base. Wouldn't it have fallen over with such a small base? [Doctor] Yes. The body of the vessel is blown up like an egg and the mouth is wide. This unique type of vessel was discovered for the first time on the Korean Peninsula here in Buyeo. [Tourist] Do you think such vessels were designed to transport water and that people carried them on their heads? That could explain why the bases were made this way. [Doctor] We really don't know the reason why the vessels were shaped in this way. However, the people of the Bronze Age who lived in Buyeo had a unique aesthetic sensibility. These types of earthenware vessels, which were first produced in this region, made their way all over the southwest region of the peninsula and even across to Japan. There is even an academic term for this particular type of vessel. The vessel also had a unique and rather surprising purpose… They were also used as coffins. [Tourist] What? Are you saying that they put corpses into these vessels? You’re kidding, right? - 2 - [Doctor] Ha-ha! No, I am not. It’s true. Each country has its own unique burial rituals. One of the ancient burial rituals observed on the Korean peninsula consisted in burying the corpse inside one of these special vessels. In some regions this type of burial was even used up until the modern times. After placing the corpse inside the vessel, they buried it diagonally in the ground and covered it with a stone slab. Very large vessels have been discovered. Do you think the next piece of earthenware was also used for this purpose? - 3 - Exhibition Room 1 2. Agriculture of the Neolithic Age [Narration] The Neolithic Age was the period when mankind began to use special stones as tools to aid their survival. We have here with us today a Doctor of Archaeology, Dr. Kim. [Doctor] Hello! It's a pleasure to meet you. As mankind evolved to stand upright, the freedom of our hands permitted us to find new uses for them. What did we do with our hands? We held stones with them. And we threw these stones at animals that threatened our safety. So stones were first used by humans for protection. Man also discovered that hitting two stones together incidentally resulted in the production of a sharp-edged tool. [Tourist] Can you explain the tools on display here please? Are these stone axes? [Doctor] Yes, you’re right. The stone axe was a very advanced tool. During the Neolithic Age, people made the tools they needed for everyday tasks out of stones. [Tourist] Oh, there is a small groove! Did they tie these stones together by laying rope in the grooves? [Doctor] Indeed they did! They tied the stone head to a wooden handle. Stone, rope, and timber: they used these three materials to make tools. [Tourist] But what kind of rope was used to attach the head to the handle? Did they have rope during the Neolithic Age? [Doctor] Well, it was during the Neolithic Age that a kind of 'rope' was invented. I imagine that it was quite by chance that they started to twist strands of tree bark into ropes. The ropes were used for a - 4 - variety of purposes, for example, to catch rabbits or to go fishing. As you can see, stone sickles were also attached to wooden handles with rope. [Tourist] Were the axes used to catch animals? [Doctor] They look too blunt to use to catch animals, don’t they? The tools that you see in front of you have one thing in common. They were all used as farming implements. [Tourist] Oh, I see. If they were used for farming, I guess this is evidence that man had begun to cultivate the land. [Doctor] Yes. That’s true. When man survived by hunting and gathering food, people had to constantly move in search of new food sources. However, with the advent of farming, they began to settle in one place and sow seeds. Groups of people settled together and these small villages eventually grew into towns and even into big cities. Agriculture also inspired technological advances. In order to harvest enough grain to survive all year round, successful farming was imperative. Innovative tools of good quality were essential. Making ropes out of natural fibers and cutting grooves into stones: these two technological advances ultimately led to the creation of the stone axe. [Tourist] With the development of better tools, more production was possible. Surplus produce resulted in private possession by people with more power, which in turn led to the creation of social classes. This is why agriculture was actually the beginning of epochal changes for mankind. What do you think? [Doctor] You appear to have a good knowledge of history. How about we now take a look at some of the weapons that were used in battle during this period? Follow me. - 5 - Exhibition Room 1 3. Stone DaggersArrowheads [Doctor] Nice to see you again! As you can see, the items in front of us are daggers and arrowheads made from stone. During the Bronze Age, these weapons were made with great care in order to ensure the survival and protection of the clans. [Tourist] They are really well made and very sharp. It is difficult to believe that they are made of stone. It must have been extremely time-consuming to grind stone into anything resembling a knife. [Doctor] That’s true. It probably also required a lot of skill. I think there must have been a particular group of experts who were responsible for crafting the stone daggers. You must have needed to know the characteristics of various types of stones and the exact way to grind each individual stone would also have varied. The people of the Bronze Age must have known much more about stones than we do today. [Tourist] But how come only arrowheads are displayed here? Where are the arrows? [Doctor] The arrows were made from wood, so they decayed completely, leaving only the arrowheads. Arrows and arrowheads were invented following the invention of rope. If rope made from twisted plant fibers hadn’t been invented, arrows wouldn’t have been invented either. The bow and arrow was the first weapon that could be used repeatedly and from a distance. This made it a truly powerful weapon. [Tourist] I assume that if the tools we saw before were used for agricultural purposes, then these tools must have been weapons of war. - 6 - [Doctor] Yes, although they were obviously used for hunting as well. Conflicts were frequent during the Bronze Age, which was probably the motivation for the development of more sophisticated weaponry. During the Bronze Age, numerous wars were fought to gain possession of arable land or to secure sufficient slaves for farming. We can gain a greater understanding of what life was like during the Bronze Age by examining the fragments of weapons excavated from the burnt remains of housing sites and tombs. [Tourist] So they used stone swords during the Bronze Age? Wouldn't it have made more sense to use bronze swords during the Bronze Age? [Doctor] I will explain the answer to your question while we look at the next artifact. Please follow me. - 7 - Exhibition Room 1 4.Bronze Mirror with Coarse Linear Design [Doctor] This is an artifact from the Bronze Age. What do you think it is? [Tourist] Oh! I think I know. It looks like a shield. The soldiers of ancient Greece used shields that looked similar to this in battle. It was used together with the bronze sword we just looked at, wasn’t it? [Doctor] Don’t you think it is a little too small to be a shield? This is the back of a bronze mirror. Most of the bronze mirrors exhibited in museums are displayed like this, with their backs exposed to highlight their decorative features, such as patterns, images and inscriptions. Here, take a closer look. There are rough designs engraved on the back, such as thick lines and triangles. That is why it is referred to as a “mirror with coarse linear designs.” [Tourist] Oh, then what did the front of the mirror look like? Was it made of glass like the mirrors we use today? [Doctor] No, the front of the bronze mirror lacked decoration and was polished to a smooth, shiny finish to reflect light. This mirror is now tinged green as the metal has corroded over thousands of years, but it used to be bronze, almost golden even, in color. - 8 - [Tourist] I assumed that the mirror is belonging to woman maybe the wives of clan leaders or female rulers? [Doctor] Um! That may have been the case although the bronze mirror had a more important purpose than to provide a reflection at that time. They were circular like the sun and also reflected light like the sun. The light emanating from the sun, which symbolized life, was harnessed and brought to earth by the bronze mirror. [Tourist] People must have believed then that the mirror's owner had been chosen by the gods. People must also have been rather fearful of such a powerful figure. [Doctor] That’s exactly true. It was probably the case that rulers ascended platforms or hillocks in order to speak to the crowd below, while wearing the bronze mirrors on their chests.

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