Japanese Yayoi-period pottery has been excavated from the Gunsan Gaesadong Shell Mound in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. The discovery is drawing attention as evidence that Gunsan served as a key port of call for maritime exchange along the west coast from prehistoric to ancient times.
The National Wanju Cultural Heritage Research Institute (headed by Lee Gyu-hun), under the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Korea Heritage Service, announced Wednesday that excavations at the Gunsan Gaesadong Shell Mound — conducted to academically investigate shell mound culture along the west coast of North Jeolla Province — yielded a range of archaeological findings that shed light on the nature of shell mounds in the Gunsan area.
Among the most significant artifacts is a piece of Japanese Yayoi-period pottery believed to be a vessel stand. The Yayoi period (3rd century BC to 3rd century AD) was the era when wet-rice farming and Bronze Age culture were first introduced and spread across Japan, centered on the Kyushu region. Yayoi culture is presumed to have been transmitted from the Korean Peninsula, and the find suggests the Gunsan area played a role in that exchange. Yayoi pottery had previously been found at sites including the Neukdo site off the coast of Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province.
"When viewed alongside the Buan Jukmakdong site, a representative maritime ritual site in North Jeolla Province, this material is noteworthy as evidence suggesting Gunsan served as a port of call during ancient maritime exchange via the west coast," the institute said.
Elsewhere at the site, a shell layer up to approximately 50 centimeters thick was identified in the northeastern area. Inside the layer, a variety of shellfish and animal bones were found, along with large jars and steamers from the Mahan period dating to the 2nd to 4th centuries AD. Shellfish species included oysters, clams, murex snails and marsh snails, while animal bones included those of dogs, pigs and seals. The discovery of seal bones is particularly rare in the North Jeolla region and provides an important clue for understanding the diet and livelihood of coastal residents at the time, the institute explained.
