Prehistoric Times in Chungnam

The artifacts displayed here are pieces of pottery and stone tools dating from a long time before the establishment of the Baekje Kingdom. The first relics of the Paleolithic Age, which began 500,000 years ago, were found for the first time here in Gongju area in the south of the Korean Peninsula.

Take a look at the stone tools. They don’t look very different from common stones, do they? If you look at them carefully, you can see that they were specifically shaped and designed for certain purposes. For example, why don’t we take a look at the hand axe? The top part was broken into a sharp end in order to use the point as a leather punch, and the middle section functioned as a knife. The bottom part of the axe was shaped in order to cut tree branches. Each stone tool had a variety of uses. We could say that it was the Swiss army knife of the Paleolithic Age!

Although the stone tools look like they were simple to make, the process required some knowledge of stones. For example, what type of stone could be used? What were the properties of the particular type of stone? How did you hit the stone in order for it to chip easily? People of the Paleolithic Age were knowledgeable and skillful with regard to stone tools.

Now, let's turn our attention to the tools made during the Neolithic Age. The Neolithic Age began on the Korean Peninsula around 8000 B.C. People inhabited areas where food supplies were abundant, such as near the coast or large rivers and they ground stones to use as tools. They also made pottery by baking clay in a fire.

The exhibit to your right is a comb-pattern pottery that is representative of the Neolithic Age. The pointed base was designed to be sunk into the ground. These vessels were used to both cook and store food. The use of fire to cook food resulted in fewer contaminated foodstuffs and therefore less illnesses. The inhabitants of the peninsula also benefited from the ability to cook raw foods and store them, which increased both the quantity and diversity of the food that was available. Vessels similar to this one can be found all across northern Europe and even all the way up to Siberia.

The surfaces of the vessels were decorated with comb patterns. Even though the vessels were for practical use, the people of the Neolithic Age preferred the objects to be aesthetically pleasing. This is why the comb-pattern pottery is regarded as an important part of the art of the Neolithic Age.