Paleolithic Korea ----------------------- Prehistoric Korea is the era of human existence in the Korean Peninsula for which written records did not exist. The origins of this period are an open question but the antiquity of hominid occupation in Korea may date to as early as 500,000 BCE. Yi and Clark are somewhat skeptical of dating the earliest occupation to the Lower Palaeolithic. At Seokjang-ri, an archaeological site near Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do Province, artifacts that appear to have an affinity with Lower Paleolithic stone tools were unearthed in the lower levels of the site. Bifacial chopper or chopping-tools were also excavated. Hand axes and cleavers produced by men in later eras were also uncovered. From Jeommal Cave a tool, possibly for hunting, made from the radius of a hominid was unearthed, along with hunting and food preparation tools of animal bones. The shells of nuts collected for nourishment were also uncovered. In Seokjang-ri and in other riverine sites, stone tools were found with definite traces of Palaeolithic tradition, made of fine-grain rocks such as quartzite, porphyry, obsidian, chert, and felsite manifest Acheulian, Mousteroid, and Levalloisian characteristics. Those of the chopper tradition are of simpler in shape and chipped from quartz and pegmatite. Seokjang-ri's middle layers showed that humans hunted with these bola or missile stones. During the Middle Paleolithic Period, humans dwelt in caves at the Jeommal Site near Jecheon and at the Durubong Site near Cheongju. From these two cave sites, fossil remains of rhinoceros, cave bear, brown bear, hyena and numerous deer (Pseudaxi gray var.), all extinct species, were excavated. The earliest radiocarbon dates for the Paleolithic indicate the antiquity of occupation on the Korean peninsula is between 40,000 and 30,000 BP. From an interesting habitation site at Locality 1 at Seokjang-ri, excavators claim that they excavated some human hairs of Mongoloid origin along with limonitic and manganese pigments near and around a hearth, as well as animal figurines such as a dog, tortoise and bear made of rock. Reports claim that these were carbon dated to some 20,000 years ago. The Palaeolithic ends when pottery production begins c 8000 BCE. The Palaeolithic humans lived in caves and built nomadic shelters above ground. Evidence of hearths used for cooking and warmth has been found. Palaelolithic people on the Korean Peninsula practiced hunting and gathering. They fashioned arrow heads, and a variety of tools, by chipping rock. Archaeologists suspect, but can not prove, people hunted in communities during this period. The earliest known Korean pottery dates back to c. 8000 B.C.E. or before. Known as Yungimun Pottery, the pottery has been found in much of the peninsula. Gosan-ri in Jeju-do, and Ubong-ri in Greater Ulsan, represent examples of Yungimun-era sites. Jeulmun, or Comb-pattern Pottery, can be found after 7000 B.C.E. Some 15,000 archeological artifacts from the Upper Paleolithic Age (c. 40,000 B.C.-c. 10,000 B.C.) have been unearthed during excavation work around the Namhangang River in Danyang County of South Korea. The historical investigation has been specifically carried out at the Suyanggae Site, a limestone area where historical excavations often occur. Scientists discovered a wide range of stoneware, including a core, a micro-blade core, a blade core, a flake tool and a stone hammer. The charcoal from the second occupation layer, where the stoneware was found, tells us that the newly found relics were produced approximately 18,000 years ago. Three different Upper Paleolithic occupation layers were found in the region. Each layer has slightly different kinds of stone hammers, in various shapes and sizes, and a matching set of cores, flake tools and stone pieces. Archeologists tell us that the production of stoneware was centered in this region. The buried soil horizon associated with the third occupation layer, the lowest level, had one particularly intriguing piece of stoneware: an elongated stone with clearly man-made markings. It is 20.6 centimeters long, 8.1 centimeters wide and 4.2 centimeters thick, with 22 graduated markings along the side. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), the government body leading the dig, these types of relics haven't been found anywhere else in East Asia and are considered to be important and epoch-marking artifacts that could lead to a new understanding of humanity's early prehistory. For more information on this topic, you can visit: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danyang_County - http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Culture/view?articleId=120190 - http://koreanhistory.info/PaleolithicandNeolithicKorea.htm - http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Prehistoric_Korea - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_Korea

• published: 11 May 2015
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