Gwangju Samniguseokgi Site

The Gwangju Samniguseokgi Site lies at the foot of several ridges (75–85 m above sea level) branching north-east from Balli Peak. Excavation of the western part of the site identified three cultural layers spanning from the very end of the Middle Paleolithic to the latter part of the Late Paleolithic. These layers yielded some 4,000 stone artefacts made from quartz and quartzite gathered near the site, ranging from large, heavy core tools such as choppers and polyhedrons to small flake tools including hand axes, scrapers, end-scrapers, notches and denticulates. Moving up through the layers, a wider variety of raw stone types appears, along with a higher proportion of small, sharp flake tools. In particular, the uppermost layer (Layer 1) produced obsidian microblades, borers, tanged points and burins, dating it to the latter part of the Late Paleolithic. A trial excavation recovered a further 670 stone artefacts, with obsidian tools linked to Layer 1 concentrated in number; in the eastern part of the site, a fourth cultural layer, earlier than the late Middle Paleolithic layer, was also identified. This is one of the most extensive Paleolithic sites yet investigated along the Hangang River, and the large quantity of stone tools recovered from its successive cultural layers makes it an important source for understanding Paleolithic culture in the central Korean peninsula.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gwangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물