Shell Mound in Gungok-ri, Haenam

A shell mound (paechong) is an archaeological site formed by the accumulation of shells discarded after eating, together with everyday refuse, by ancient peoples who lived by hunting, fishing and gathering; it is also called a shell midden. The Gungok-ri Shell Mound in Haenam lies at the western end of the south coast, on a hillside about 300m southwest of Gungok Elementary School, on the western side of Gagongsan Mountain (334m). The site was excavated in three seasons from 1986 to 1988 by the Gwangju National Museum and the Mokpo National University Museum. The exposed extent of the shell mound, about 200m wide and 300m long, is known to be the largest in the southwestern coastal region. The excavation focused on the shell layer on the hillside slope, and the stratigraphy of the shell layer, excluding the topsoil and natural subsoil, is divided into 14 layers in total. The remains include a dwelling site and a pottery kiln site. The dwelling site was located on the hilltop immediately beside the shell layer; its outline was confirmed, measuring 350-360cm and nearly circular, with a pit depth of around 10cm. Six postholes were found outside the shoulder line, and the artefacts recovered include deep-bowl pottery, steamer fragments, mounted-dish fragments, and rim fragments of clay-strip-rim pottery. The pottery kiln site is an underground climbing kiln without internal partitions, dug into a layer of reddish-yellow weathered rock on the hillside slope. The kiln's plan is gourd-shaped, and the kiln itself measures 420cm in length. It is assessed as a relatively complete kiln, consisting of an entrance, a firing area, a combustion chamber and firing chamber, and a flue. Artefacts excavated from the shell mound include hard plain pottery, earthenware objects, ironware, stone tools, bone and antler tools, divination bones (bokgol), ornaments, and huoquan coins, an ancient Chinese currency, along with natural remains such as shells and animal bones. The Gungok-ri Shell Mound in Haenam began to form in the early 1st century BC and continued until around the 3rd century AD, making it a representative site of the early Iron Age in the southern Korean peninsula. Its excavation revealed a transitional stage linking the dolmen society of the Bronze Age with the jar-coffin tomb society of the ancient tomb period in the southern regions, giving it high historical and academic value.

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Where it is

Region

Haenam, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Historic Site · 사적