FORMATION OF UNIQUE KOREAN IMAGES IN KOREA'S PREHISTORI

PETROGLYPHS OF KOREA

SEGWEON YIM

(Andong National University, Andong, Korea)

I. FOREWORD

Petroglyphs, commonly called rock art, are what have been left on the surfaces of rocks by pecking, grinding or marking them. There are also those painted with pigments. They exist in a vast range of areas from Altamira and Lascaux in Europe to China and Siberia. They can be called "rock paintings" while the former can be called "rock carvings."

Not a single "rock painting" has been found in Korea, so when you say petroglyphs in Korea, they generally mean "rock carvings"

Korea's first petroglyph was found about 30 years ago in 1970. For two years since then, there was a short boom of discoveries: Daegok-ri, Unyang-myon and Cheonjeon-ri, Doodong-myon in Ulsan and Yangjun-ri, Gaejin-myon in Goryoung. However, petroglyph researches have been very slow until the 90s because no new petroglyphs were found for the following 20 years and the existing discoveries were almost negligible in number. Moreover, any basis for comparative studies was totally lacking.

Then the 90s started to see a surge of petroglyph researches as many rock carvings similar to those in Yangjun-ri were found and efforts have been made to understand Korea's petroglyphs in the wider context of North-east Asia.

This approch has opened the possibility in that they are related to those in North China and Mongol to Siberia and Central Asia. The recent stuides in fact have been revealing their uniqueness as well as their universality as part of the overall North-east Asian petroglyphic tradition.

This paper intends to show the different images in Korean petroglyphs, how they are related to others in North-east Asia, and how they have come to distinguish themselves as uniquely Korean.

II. IMAGES IN KOREA'S PETROGLYPHS

Petroglyphs in general is composed of many different images which have been made in many different ways. Therefore, there could be several criteria for categorising them such as their objects and methods. However, it is technically difficult to apply all of those criteria to categorise Korea's petroglyphs since there are not enough specimen. This papar intends to break them into five groups based on the images they describe and try to identify their relationship with those in Siberia, China and Mongol.

1. Images of Animals and Humans

Images of animals and humans appearing together were found in Daegok-ri, and Chonjon-ri in Ulsan, and one of each in Seokjang-dong in Kyongju. The Daegok-ri and Chonjon-ri petroglyphs are the biggest in size in Korea and known as representing Korean petroglyphs. However, there have been no reports of discovery of animal and human images in areas other than the above mentioned three places. Their number and geographic distribution is exceptionally limited. Therefore, this paper is focused on the petroglyphs on the two rocks in Ulsan.

Fig. 1

1) Images of Animals

The Daegok-ri and Chonjon-ri petroglyphs with animal and human images can be categozied into two kinds according to the way they are made. This paper calls the two catergories "silhouette-pecked" and "outline-pecked". The former is made first by outlining the images by pecking and then grinding to extend the outlines and make the surface smooth. The latter is made by just outlining the images or make several lines inside them. The way they are overlapped shows that "surface carving" is preceded by "outline pecking" and each reflects the culture of its creators to some extent. silhouette-pecked petroglyphs on the Daegok-ri rock are concentrated in the far left: many whales and turtles, a small number of land animals, and downsized people. (Fig. 1)

Fig. 2

The center shows same kinds of sea and land animals dispersed also with downsized people. The rest of the rock surface is sparsely decorated with various animals. However, the most prevailing animal is whales. While some of them are described in their profiles, most of them are described as if shown from above, thus resulting in very static whales lacking the sense of motion. Even the profiled ones mostly follow a certain stylized pattern and very static. Except for the single whale which is full of dynamism since the lower left part of its body is twisted in the shape of an "S", the silhouette-pecked petroglyphs on the Daegok-ri rock are mostly static and stylized. (Fig. 2)

Outlined petroglyphs are evenly distributed and their creators seem to have tried to avoid silhouetted ones which were already there. Therefore, they are less in number and less organized than the latter. There are just three whales and one of them seems to have been made along with other silhouetted whales. Outlined petroglyphs mostly show land animals such as deer, tigers, leopards, and wild pigs. (Fig. 3) Most of them are female since thery are described as having round bellies and there are few deer with big horns. (Fig. 4)

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Some of the animals are kept in nets or cages and most of them are not only outlined but incised with various patterns of lines. The dominant theory so far has seen them as a kind of x-ray drawing. However, the lines within tigers and leopards are obviously describing their skin patterns and even those in apparent x-ray drawing lack the consistency Scandinvian or Austrailian petroglyphs have. Some of Siberian ones also show x-rayed images. One of them shows a distinct life line from the mouth to the stomach and distinguishes itself from the oulined ones in question on the Daegok-ri rock.(Fig. 5) Therefore, it can be said that they are not x-rayed images or that they were influenced by x-ray drawing at one point but its influence has been lost along the passage of time.

Fig. 5

As mentioned above, only a few silhouette-pecked images and outlined ones are overlapped. The creators of the latter are presumed to have tried not to infringe the former. It was probably because the former were still retaining considerable religious meaning when the latter were made.

Both silhouette- pecked and oulined images are mostly described as pregnant and some of the whales even show the fetuses inside their bellies.

Images of pregnancy signifies the wishes for fertility and good harvest. Some Siberian petroglyphs manifest the same images: animals with round bellies and whales with x-rayed fetuses. (Fig. 6)

Fig. 6

Some of outlined images on the Daegok-ri rock look like mating. However, there are no descriptions of reproductive organs and their poses are awkward to be seen as mating. Therefore, fertility is symbolized by pregnant female animals only on this hemisphere-shaped rock in Ulsan.

The animal images on the Chonjon-ri rock are mostly silhouette-pecked. Some of them are simply pecked and some of them are deeply cut and then ground. The dominant animal is the deer and most of them have big horns unlike those on the Daegok-ri rock. A small number of them are exaggerated to have big reproductive organs. Some of the deer on the left side of the rock appear in pairs standing head to head. That represents the deer in love. (Fig. 7, Fig. 8)

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Descriptions of reproductive organs or head-to-head contacts are found widely in North China, Mongol, and Russia. They can be interpreted to express a wish for a good harvest. The image of two horses with their long necks crossed as shown in Ichdurulzi in Mongol carries the same meaning. The reason why the symbolism of fertility and good harvest on the Cheonjeon-ri rock is different from that in Daegok-ri comes from the different cultures and times they represent.

2) Human Images

Most of human images in Korean petroglyphs are very small and hard to tell whether they are silhouette-pecked or outline-pecked. However, their bodies show some sense of volume and they can be said to be more silhouette-pecked than outline-pecked. A relatively large number of them are found on the Daegok-ri and Chonjon-ri rocks.

The Daegok-ri rock has 11 full-figure human images: 5 profiles and 6 front images. The profiles have their large reproductive organs protruded and look as if they are dancing with the their arms upward and their legs a little bent. (Fig. 9 and 10) Some of them are holding a long object with their arms and put it on the mouth as if they are playing the horm.

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

The front images have no common features except for a little spread legs and the absence of descriptions of reproductive organs. Some of them have both arms upward, some have both arms at their waist, and some have one arm upward and the other downward. They are thought to be dancing.

One of the front images on the lower left attracts attention. It has both arms and legs spread and ten fingers and toes wide open.(Fig. 11)

Fig. 11

Fig. 12

It is similar to those regarded as shaman images in Neimenggu and Ningxia Autonomous, China. The same image can be found on drums used by Siberian shamans. Therefore, the particular image is assumed to be a shaman image related to the above mentioned areas.(Fig. 12)

There is one image which looks like a mask. It has a symmetrical description of eyes, nose and mouth inside a long upside-down triangle shape. Its forehead is cut straight confirming it is a mask to hide the face from the forehead down. It seems to have a special meaning since its size is similar to that of animal images while other human images are very small.

People are found in a boat but just described as short lines above it instead of having distinct images. They can be interpreted as fishing whales or as carrying out a ritual to wish for a good crop.(Fig. 13)

Fig. 13

Boats are commonly found in Siberia and generally regarded as taking the dead to the underworld. This interpretation can be possibly applied to the boat on the Daegok-ri rock.

Since the human and animal images on the Chonjon-ri rock are badly weathered and abstract images of later days overlap them, they are very hard to distinguish except for a small area in the left. Human images are both silhouette-pecked and outline-pecked. There are three silhouette-pecked human images found. The one in the far left has a particularly thick and long neck, blurred face, long body and short legs. The one in the center of the rock shows a sign of grinding after pecking and is similar to those on the Daegok-ri rock in that it has long legs and places its arms at the waist. (See the center of Fig. 14)

Four outline-pecked human images are found on the Cheonjeon-ri rock.

Two of them look like masks without bodies and the other two have big heads and negligible bodies. They have much more abstract shapes than silhouette-pecked ones. The face in the center of the rock is ground and of the almost same size as the mask on the Daegok-ri rock. The one on the far left is pecked and looks like it has not been completed. It is overlapped with the neck of an animal image which is pecked. Some scholars see it as an animal with a human face. However, a closer look would reveal otherwise: the human face is pecked over the silhouette-pecked animal head.

The difference between silhouette-pecked human images and outline-pecked ones on the Cheonjeon-ri rock can be attributed to different periods. It is likely that silhouette-pecked human images belong to the same period as silhouette-pecked animals and abstract outlined human images belong to the same period as abstract line petroglyphs.

Fig. 14

2. Abstract Petroglyphs with Geometrical Shapes

The Chonjon-ri rock shows many abstract geometrical shapes: concentric circles, diamonds, spirals and curved lines. The row of diamonds on the top is of special notice.(Fig.14) The center of the rock reveals many diamonds along with concentric circles. (Fig. 15) They are accompanied by linked circles and irregularly curved lines. The abstract geometrical shapes are outline-pecked first and surface-ground deeper and infringe on animal images.

However, some small aninal and human images are surface-ground the same way as abstract geometrical shapes, which leads to a possibility that they are made during the same period. A rock near the Baykal Lake in Siberia shows a long row of diamonds on the top while its other parts are strewn with animal and human paintings, manifesting a striking similarity to the petroglyphs on the Chonjon-ri rock.(Fig. 16)

Fig. 15

Fig. 16

A dolmen in Dohang-ri, Haman, is filled with 7 concentric circles and many small and big cup marks.(Fig. 17) The 230cmx120cm dolmen is partly destroyed and the circles and cub marks on its edge show the sign of being cut off, backing the assumption that it used to be a part of a larger rock. Similar petroglyphs are found in Jiangjunai, Lianyungang in Jiangsu province(Fig. 18) and Yinshan mountain in Neimenggu Autonomous, China. The Chinese scholars interprete them as depicting constellations and their interpretation can be applied to the Dohang-ri dolmen.

Another example is found in Yanga-ri, Namhae. It is composed of irregular lines which vaguely look like letters or human images. Several more petroglyphs exist in the vicinity, raising a possibility of an independent pattern. Legend used to have it that the envoy sent by the first emperor of the ancient China's Chin to find ever-youth plants made the engravings. Now they are commonly accepted as pre-historic petroglyphs.

Fig. 17

Fig. 18

3. Symbols for Fertility and Good Harvest

Aside from naturalistic animal and human images, some petroglyphs show exaggerated images of animal footprints, and male or female genitals. They might look like abstract images but they are not since the particular body parts are clearly described. They are mostly found in three areas: Soogok-ri, Andong, Suckjang-dong, Kyongju, and Chilpo-ri, Pohang.

1) Female Genitals

They are found on a rock in Soogok-ri, Andong, which is quite unique in terms of its surroundings.(Fig. 20) The large rock of 15 meters east and west, and 30 meters north and south, is located almost on the top of a mountain and its upper horizontal part is speckled with many engravings and big round holes. A large oval hole is also found and it is assumed to have been used as a water container. The engravings show a wide variety of images: female genitals, human footprints, and small round holes. It is believed that they were made over a long period of time instead of at the same time.

Fig. 19

Fig. 20

Fig. 21

Fig. 22

  The Soogok-ri petroglyphs is characterized by the 'U' shapes. (Fig. 19, 20). Since their corners are rounded, they looks like horse shoes. Actually they are interpreted as horse-shoes or bird foot-prints in China where many specimens of this shape are found.
  However, they are believed to describe female genitals by some scholars including Dr. Chenzaofu from China and Mr. Okladnikov from Russia. Okladnikov asserts that the simple 'U's represent female genitals while the 'U's with short lines inside the dents symbolize sexual intercourse.
  Almost identical shapes are found in wide areas ranging from Soogok-dong in Korea and, Arshan-Had and Delgel in Mongolia to Mt. Helanshan, Mt. Yinshan and Ulanchabu plateau in China. Their distribution indicates a close cultural relationship between Mongolia and the Neimenggu Autonomous in China.(Fig. 21)
  Similar shapes are found on Chilpo-ri rock in Pohang, and the S대kjang-dong rock in Kyongju. Some of them are oval and some of them are triangles upside down with short lines going upward from the bottom point to the center. They obviously look like female outer genitals. (Fig. 22)

Fig. 23


2) Human or Animal Foot-prints

  They are found on the Soogok-ri and Seokjang-dong rocks. The one in Soogok-ri is just 15 cm long and it clearly shows 5 toes which face the south. There are comparatively fewer pictures around it, which makes it difficult to understand how the foot-print is related to other pictures.
  The Seokjang-dong rock has three foot-prints in a single row near the top of the rock. Their sizes are similar to that in Soogok-ri.
  Hand-prints are quite common in other parts of the world while foot-prints are rare. They are found in Mt. Yinshan and Ulanchabu plateau in China but very rarely.
  The Book of Odes, Shiji(The History,史記), and other old Chinese books record a legend which is related to human footprints. It says the mother of Houzhi, the founder of Chou, gave birth to him after she stepped on a footprint of a giant. A similar story appears in Songshu(The History of Song Dynasty,宋書). Taihou, was born after his mother stepped on a giant's footprint. From these stories, it can be inferred that human footprints were carved on the rock for the ladies to step on when they wished for a child.
  So far a direct linkage has not been proven between the foot-prints in China and those on the Soogok-ri and Seokjang-dong rocks. However, they certainly have reproduction implications and can be interpreted in the same context.
  The animal foot-prints on the Seokjang-dong rock(Fig.23) have oval shapes lying sideways with 4 or 5 round dents on the top. They are believed to be intended to wish for animal fertility and a good hunting.

Fig. 24

  4. God Images

  Korea's first petroglyph of god images was found in Yangjun-ri, Koryong. They are characterized by trapezoids upside down with two or three horizontal lines. Round marks are carved inside the band friezes and the forehead part is carved out in the shape of U or V. Each outline except for the bottom one is lined with short lines to look like hair strands or sun rays. The both sides are dented to look like sunk human cheeks. (Fig. 24)
  This type of petroglyphs has been called in many names: geometrical petroglyph; dagger petroglyph; shield petroglyph: and mask petroglyph. I used to call it human-faced petroglyph since it looks like the human face. However, it is most likely to represent the sun god. It can be found in the menhirs of the Okunevo Culture in Minusinsk, Russia, Mt. Yinshan and Mt. Zuozishan in Neimenggu, China and Sakachi-Aryan in Khavarovsk, Russia.
  The sun god images have several things in common: short lines around the outlines to represent sun rays; U or V shapes in the foreheads; horizontal lines inside; round marks inside band friezes; and both sides dented. Korea's sun god images share the common chacrateristics except for the fact they are shaped like trapezoids or sand-clock-like rectangles. (Fig. 25)

Fig. 25

  Similar petroglyphs have been found in Chilpo-ri, Yongil, Anhwa-ri, Koryong, Posung-ri, Yongchon, Kaheung-dong, Yongju, Daegok-ri, Namwon, and Ansim-ri, Kyongju. Their details vary a little. While the Yangjon-ri petroglyphs has round corners, the others have pointed ones. The sun god images in Gaheung-dong, and Chilpo-ri do not have short lines around and those in Daegok-ri have angled side lines. The Posung-ri and Daegok-ri petroglyphs have a combination of various shapes, showing they are all variations of the Yangjon-dong sun god images.

  Seokjang-dong in Kyongju shows a different type of sun god images along with a Yangjon-dong variation which has no sun ray descriptions. They look like isosceles triangles and their sides are a little bit convexed. About two thirds from the top, the side lines are slightly bent, and a horizontal line inside the triangle connects the two points where the bending starts. The upper part has four or five round marks to describe a face. (Fig. 26)
  This type of sun god images are also found in Mt. Helanshan, Mt. Yinshan, and Baichahe River in Neimenggu, China.
  One unique thing about sun god images is that they usually are not mixed with other petroglyphs on a single rock surface. The Seokjang-dong and Yangjon-ri rocks are exceptions since they also have concentric circles or foot-prints. The reason is presumed to be that the sun god images were carved as objects of worship and that the rock surface was regarded as a sacred place. They presumably belong to the later period of petroglyphs.

Fig. 26


  5. Stone Dagger and Arrow-head Shapes on Dolmen Capstones

  Some dolmen capstones are carved in stone dagger or arrow-head shapes. One dolmen in Yinbi-ri, Pohang shows two stone dagger shapes and one arrow-head and another in Orim-dong, Yosoo shows one arrow-head. Stone daggers and arrow-heads are the most frequently found burial goods in dolmens. Therefore, where the petroglyphs came from is quite evident. Many bronze dagger shapes are found on the Altai menhirs commonly called deer stones. In Mongolia, they are found not only on menhirs but also on ston cist. They are understood to have been influenced by the Karasuk culture. Since the ancient culture had a close relationship with Korea's bronze culture, the stone dagger and arrow-head shapes on the dolmen capstone can be interpreted as reflecting the Altai or Mongol tradition of carving bronze dagger shapes on deer stones.
  The dolmen roof tops in Posung-ri, Yongchon, and Dohang-ri, Haman used to be understood as dolmen petroglyphs. However, they are presumed to be made from the rock whose surface had been already carved and they should be differenciated from the Yinbi-ri and Orim-dong dolmens.
  One obscure case is the dolmen in Ansim-ri, Kyongju. The entire capstone is covered with sun god images. However, it has yet to be proved to be a dolmen and even if so, it is not clear whether the images were carved by the dolmen builders. Further study is required.

III. KOREA'S PETROGLYPHS IN NORTH-EAST ASIAN CONTEXT

  1. North-East Asian petroglyphs

  Korea's petroglyphs doesn't have enough material to work on. The Daegok-ri and Chonjon-ri rocks are the only two which provide enough specimens. And there is also the problem of limited geographical distribution. Korean petroglyphs are found only in south-east area of Korean peninsula. When and how they came to exist in the Korean peninsula and assume Korean uniqueness are the two most adamant questions the studies of Korean petroglyphs should answer.
  One starting point can be their relationship to those in Maritime Region, Russia, Neimenggu, China, Mogolia, and other north-east Asian regions.
  North-east Asian petroglyphs have been found in a vast area ranging from the Altai region to Russia's Tom River, Yenisei River, Lena River, the Baykal Lake, and Maritime Region. The area is so vast that it seems impossible to look at its petroglyphs in one single perspective. However, they are broadly divided into two groups: South Siberia group and Altai group.
  The former covers those which are found in South Siberia from the upper Ob River to the west and the upper Amur River and Maritime Region to the east with the Lake Baikal in-between. The latter consists of those which are found along the Altai Mountains ranging from the upper Katun River of Russia to the Altai region of Chinese Xinjiang Autonomous, north Gansu Province, and Ningxia Autonomous and Neimenggu Autonomous of China and south Mongolia.
  The south Siberia group has a combination of engravings and red paintings which are mostly found along the upper Amur River, especially around Daxinganling Mountains, and Furunbeiermeng of north-east Neimenggu. The Altai group consists mostly of engravings. Even though paintings are found in north Xinjiang, they are quite different from those of the south Siberia group in shapes and descriptions.
  The engravings are also very different because they are based on different cultural backgrounds. The south Siberians were mostly hunters while the Altai people were mostly nomads. Therefore, the petroglyphs of the south Siberia depicts deer, elks and hunters while that of the Altai Mountains depicts sheep, mountain goats, nomads, hunters, and predators.

  2. North-East Asian Petroglyphs and Korean Petroglyphs

  It is not easy to compare Korea's petroglyphs to north-east Asian petroglyphs because there are serious cultural, geographical, and economic differences. While the south Siberia and the Altai Mountains were devoted to hunting and cattle breeding, the south east area of Korea was mostly farming community.
  Consequenly Korean petroglyphs does not show shooters, nomads, nor horse riders. The Daegok-ri and Chonjon-ri rocks have fences, nets and whales with spears stuck on their backs, implying hunting and fishing. However, no direct actions of hunting are found, proving that they were not carved by hunters.
  Despite those major differences, there are a couple of striking similarities. One is god images, and the other is fertility symbols. Both of them have one thing in common; they are related to religion. Animal images, human images and other petroglyphs related to natural environment and daily lives can be varied according to differences in environment and culture. However, god images, shaman images and other shapes related to religion are not much different from culture to culture. Therefore, it can be said that Korean petroglyphs has been influenced by those of Siberia and the Altai Mountains.

  IV. CONCLUSION

  Korea's petroglyphs can be broadly categorized into two: naturalistic images and abstract shapes. This essay tries to categorize them according to their content: animal and human images; fertility symbols such as human genitals and human and animal footprints; geometrical shapes; god images; and stone dagger and arrow head images on dolmens.
  Korean petroglyphs belonging to the five categories shows close relationship to those of South Siberia and the Altai Mountains.
  However, the southern Korea where all of the current Korean petroglyphs has been found is quite different from the two regions geographically and culturally. Therefore, the objects and decription method of its petroglyphs are also different. However, its god images, fertility symbols of human genitals, and foot prints carry the traditions of Siberian and Altai petroglyphs. That shows that Korea was at the last receiving point of the north-east Asian petroglyphs.
  God images in Siberia and Mongol are naturalistic descriptions of the sun, but they became more abstract to look similar to human masks. Even though god images in Korean petroglyphs have unique shapes, they still retain the universal elements those of Siberia and the Altai Mountains have, manifesting where they came from.
  Korean petroglyphs, in short, shares the universality of the Siberia-Altai region ranging from south Siberia in the north and to the Altai mountains in the south and at the same time, has the uniqueness reflecting the characteristics of Korean culture.