Shell Mound in Dongsam-dong, Busan

The Dongsam-dong shell mound, formed by the accumulation of shells and various household refuse discarded by Neolithic people, is a representative shell-midden site of Korea's Neolithic period. Since it was first discovered in 1929, during the Japanese colonial period, more than ten excavations were carried out up to 2015 by various institutions, including the National Museum of Korea and the Busan Museum. The excavations revealed that the Dongsam-dong shell mound formed over a long period, from about 8,000 to 4,000 years ago, and that it is a large-scale complex site containing not only shell deposits but also various habitation facilities such as jar burials, dwelling sites and hearths. Based on the stratigraphy and the character of the artefacts, the site is broadly divided into five cultural layers, from earliest to latest. Each layer has yielded various types of comb-pattern pottery, stone tools, bone and antler tools, shell implements, ornaments and ritual objects, as well as obsidian from Kyushu, Japan, and Jomon pottery. In addition, the remains of various animals, including whales, tigers, wild boar, deer, fish and shellfish, together with foxtail millet and proso millet, have been identified, providing evidence of Neolithic subsistence and diet. In particular, the foxtail millet and proso millet excavated from Dwelling Site No. 1 are important evidence for Neolithic grain cultivation. The Dongsam-dong shell mound offers extensive information for understanding the character and development of Neolithic culture along the south coast, and is a site of high historical value in that it shows exchange as far as the Kyushu region of Japan through maritime activity from an early period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeongdo-gu, Busan

Designation

Historic Site · 사적