Ash-glazed Pottery Kiln Site in Hwasan-ri, Gyeongju

A kiln site is the location of a kiln used to fire porcelain, roof tiles or earthenware. This is a place where Silla-period earthenware was fired, the site of a kiln from that era, and pottery fragments are scattered widely across the surrounding fields. The sherds found in the nearby fields are mostly pieces that failed in the kiln, many of them warped or fused together, while fragments of the kiln wall are made of hardened clay. Most of the earthenware found is thought to date from the seventh to eighth centuries and bears stamped floral designs; notably, about 20 percent of it is coated with a grey glaze. The shapes found include cups, bowls, bottles and other vessel forms, along with large jars and lids, and fragments of shallow, flat hap-shaped dishes have also been found. The stamped floral designs are themselves varied, and since kiln sites producing similar stamped-pattern (inhwamun) earthenware have also been found in neighbouring areas, it can be seen that earthenware used in the Gyeongju region in the early Unified Silla period was mainly produced here. The excavated pottery fragments are important material for the study of Unified Silla earthenware of the seventh and eighth centuries, and in particular the grey-glazed pottery found at the Hwasan-ri kiln site is significant for showing that potting technique had advanced beyond the naturally formed ash glazes used previously. Since the application of grey glaze underlies the later development of celadon, the discovery of this grey-glazed pottery is of great significance as evidence of an important stage in the development of Korea's ceramic production techniques.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적