Bangudae Petroglyphs

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Replicas at the Gyeongju National Museum.

Korean name

Hangul	반구대 암각화
Hanja	盤龜臺岩刻畵
Revised Romanization	Bangudae amgakhwa
McCune-Reischauer	Pan'kudae amkakhwa

The Bangudae Petroglyphs are located in Daegok-ri, Ulsan, South Korea. This site of substantial engraved rock art was rediscovered in 1971 and was designated as the 285th National Treasure of South Korea on June 23, 1995. The petroglyphs sit in an isolated forested area almost completely enclosed by steep mountains adjacent to the Daegok-cheon River, a tributary of the Taehwa River. There are three major panels in an area measuring 3 m in height and 10 m in length. A number of panels with similar rock-art motifs has been found nearby at the Cheonjeon-ni site.

It is commonly thought that the petroglyphs (Kr. amgakhwa or bawi geurim, 바위그림) at this site depict the physical embodiment of the hopes and wishes of prehistoric people. The petroglyphs were made to wish for a successful hunt or an abundance of prey. Rock art also serves to facilitate or symbolize religious rites, mythological or historical narratives, territorial markers, or decoration.

A few Korean scholars originally speculated that this rock-art tradition came from South Asia, but now it has generally come to be associated with rock art of the circum-Yellow Sea area and Northeast Asia. Thus, this site is an excample of valuable cultural heritage because it provide clues as to the origins and movements of some of the first people in Korea. Also, since art is associated with religion, these stone carvings give clues to scholars about the society and customs of prehistoric people.

The petroglyphs are on a rock face shaped like the Korean letter 'ㄱ'. The cliff face is made of sedimentary rock and lies off a tributary of the Taehwa River. Stylistically, the engravings depict dynamic and vivid figures with the abundant use of line and dots.

1 Description of rock art panels and motifs at Bangudae
2 Preservation concerns
3 Gallery
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Description of rock art panels and motifs at Bangudae

There are over 200 individual petroglyph 'motifs' depicting 75 different land and sea animals as well as hunting scenes. Notable animal petroglyphs include a depiction of a tiger caught in a trap and a pregnant female tiger. Whales, shown with spears embedded in their bodies, can be seen too. Other depictions of whales show it carrying calves. Wild boars are depicted in mating scenes and others are seen with their babies by their side or are carrying them.

Some scenes depict human facial representations that have been called 'masked magicians' as well as hunters, fisher folk and boats. Interestingly, the fishermen use nets and the petroglyphs show details of the shape of boats.

The petroglyphs were made either by chiseling out the intended outline (Kr. Seonjjogi) and chiseling out the entire shape (Kr. Myeonjjogi). This type of stone-working technique suggests that the engravings were made towards the end of the Neolithic or the start of the Bronze Age. However, since the rock art is not associated with prehistoric settlements the dating of rock art in Korea is difficult and contentious.

[edit] Preservation concerns

Built from 1962 to 1965 and expanded between 1999 and 2002, the creation of the Sayeon Dam helps supply Ulsan with drinking water but the rocks on which the petroglyphs are carved are now periodically flooded for about eight months every year. The rock-art motifs are considered to be masterpieces of prehistoric art and an invaluable resource of prehistoric information. Historic and ongoing periodic flooding raises concerns of erosion and water damage. In 2002, an extensive study on the Bangudae and Cheonjeon-ni was undertaken by various institutions led by Ulsan University Museum. Not surprisingly the study suggests that the Bangudae Petroglyphs must be better preserved.