Archaeological Site in Osan-ri, Yangyang

The Osan-ri site came to light when large quantities of earthenware and stone tools were found in the soil during work to extract fill for reclaiming a lake called Ssangho ('twin lake'), some 300 metres inland from the coast, in order to turn it into farmland. Excavation showed that it was inhabited by Neolithic people around 8,000 years ago. Traces of dwellings, outdoor hearths where fires were lit, and marks apparently left by tool-making were confirmed. Along with various forms of pottery, including raised-design earthenware bearing an applied pattern, distinctive polished stone tools were excavated that give a glimpse of life at the time, among them composite fishhooks made of joined parts, suggesting a fishing way of life, together with net sinkers, stone saws and arrowheads. Also found were clay human-face figurines and clay figurines shaped like animals and boats, which shed light on the spiritual life of the Neolithic period and provide valuable material for understanding the religious outlook of Neolithic people. In addition, compositional analysis of obsidian recovered at the site showed that it originated from the Baekdusan Mountain area, revealing that the prehistoric culture of the Baekdusan region may have been connected to that of the east coast area centred on Osan-ri. Standing at a midpoint linking the north-eastern region and the south coast, the Osan-ri site is unusual among Korean Neolithic sites in preserving a clear sequence of stratigraphic layers, and because it encompasses pottery bearing the regional characteristics of Neolithic sites elsewhere, it provides important material for understanding not only the prehistoric culture of the east coast but the overall development of Korea's Neolithic culture, and for studying the origins of that culture and its relationships with surrounding regions.

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Where it is

Region

Yangyang, Gangwon

Designation

Historic Site · 사적