韓國無文土器文化의 研究

A Study of Korea’s Non-Decorated Pottery Culture

" In the five-year period from 1960 to 1964, the writer conducted intensive excavations at prehistoric sites along the Han River. On the basis of the coarse non-decorated pottery found during the excavations, this paper attempts to clarify the characteristics of Korea’s coarse non-decorated pottery culture, which has not been well defined yet. Named after coarse non-decorated pottery, this culture covers not only pottery but stone implements also. Non-decorated pottery has been called thus far as “non-decorated pottery of a brick-red color” or “thick non-decorated pottery.” Since its characteristics have not been distinguished, it is often confused with non-decorated pottery of later periods. For this reason, this study sets up a unique period for this culture by designating it as “coarse non-decorated pottery culture” and aims to define it in light of its cultural contents. The sites of coarse non-decorated pottery culture along the Han River include Tokok-ri(陶谷里), Dŏkpung-ri(德豊里), Kodŏk-ri(高德里), Mangwŏl-ri(望月里), Sinpyŏng-ri(新坪里), Munchŏng-ri(文井里), the hill at Amsa-ri(岩寺里丘陵), Pungnap-ri(風納里), and Nonhyŏn-ri(論峴里). These sites are scattered mostly on hills, but there are a few like Pungnap-ri that are located on low land near the river. In the case of Amsa-ri, two different kinds of pottery culture are traceable. Low land by the river is found to be a site for decorated pottery culture of a geometric pattern(幾何學文土器文化) or the so-called comb-pattern pottery culture(櫛文土器文化), while on the hill near the village pieces of coarse non-decorated pottery are found. On the other hand, the Mangwol-ri site is indicative of coarse non-decorated pottery culture and the Misa-ri site, of geometric pattern pottery culture, though both are adjacent to the river. Non-decorated pottery was made of clay mixed with quartz grains, baked at low temparature; therefore; we call it “coarse.” As for the vessel shape, globular-bodied and flat-bottomed pots are characteristic. No round-bottomed non-decorated pottery is found along the Han River. As associated artifacts of coarse non-decorated pottery, there are stone implements. Originally, polished stone artifacts are characteristic of coarse non-decorated pottery culture, but ill the case of the sites along the Han River, chipped stone tools are predominant. Most of stone axes found are coarsely chipped, though some of them are half-ground, on the edge only. Lunar knives and stone arrowheads are mostly ground completely. But triangular knives are of a coarsely chipped kind. Generally, the stone axe is trapezoidal in shape, the head side narrow and the edge wide. Needless to say, this shape is after the characteristic shape of the stone axe found in the northern part of North China. Also discovered at the sites along the Han River are many very small stone tools about five to ten centimeters long, which are similar in shape to the stone axe. Too small to have the helve, however, the stone tool must have been used as a knife or scraper, not as an axe. It is obvious that men of non-decorated pottery culture were engaged in farming and those of decorated pottery culture, in fishing originally. But along the Han River, each group of people seem to have relied for their living on both farming and fishing, for many net sinkers are discovered at the hill sites of non-decorated pottery culture. Not long ago, the so-called comb-pattern pottery was excavated along with grains of something like millet from the primeval culture stratum of the Second District at the Chitap-ri(智塔里) site of Bong-san-kun(鳳山郡) in the Hwanghae(黃海) Province. This discovery leads to the belief that comb-pattern pottery culture reached the stage of dry field farming. Although there is no immediate evidence of grain from a site of non-decorated pottery culture, farming tools such as the lunar knife prove that this culture als