Shell Mound on Yeondaedo Island, Tongyeong

A shell mound (patchong) is formed from shells and household waste discarded by prehistoric people after eating, and is also called a shell-midden site; it is a type of site that reveals what daily life was like at the time. This shell mound extends in a U-shape along the north-eastern side of the island, sloping down to the seashore on the north and forming a steep hill on the east. The shape of the terrain shows that sea levels differed over time. The mound is divided into seven distinguishable layers, and the lower layers, from the fourth to the seventh, are Neolithic cultural layers; these mainly yielded shells, black soil, gravel, earthenware, graves and human bones, which help researchers study the physical characteristics and way of life of Neolithic people. In the upper second and third layers, earthenware and ceramics from the Joseon, Goryeo and Three Kingdoms periods were found, showing that the site holds a very diverse range of cultural layers. Among the excavated artefacts are pieces of Japanese Neolithic earthenware, suggesting that there was exchange between Japan and Korea at the time. It is a site that should be studied together with the sites of Dongsam-dong and Sangnodaedo on the south coast.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Tongyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적