Petroglyphs of Cheonjeon-ri, Ulju

A rock on the bank of the middle reaches of the Daegokcheon, a tributary of the Taehwagang River, carved with figures, writing and pictures. It is divided into upper and lower registers, with different content in different techniques, and is carved all over. The upper register is pecked with geometric patterns, animals and abstracted human figures. They are simplified rather than realistic: round a circle at the centre that seems to stand for the sun, four deer run on either side, and a half-human, half-animal figure — a human head on an animal's body — stands out at the far left. Simple yet apparently symbolic, these pictures seem to date from the Bronze Age. The lower register mixes incised pictures and writing, with varied subjects: processions of riders, animals, dragons and ships. Riders in procession appear in three places, well conveyed with only a few dots and lines. The ships are an important record of the seafaring of the Silla people. There are more than 800 characters, commemorating visits here by a king and a queen, thought to have been carved on two occasions in the reign of King Beopheung. They mention official titles and the six-district system, making them precious for the study of Silla society in the sixth century. The work of many hands over a long time, the rock vividly records life and thought from prehistoric times to Silla. It matters all the more because rather than representing a single age it holds the look of many.

AI Translation

Visiting

Opening hours

Open 24 hr

Closed

N/A (Open all year round)

Parking

Available (Free parking)

Information

+82-52-204-0321

Visitor information: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1

Where it is

Region

Ulju, Ulsan

Designation

National Treasure · 국보