Indian Journal of Science and Technology, Vol 9(39), DOI: 10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i39/103242, October 2016
ISSN (Print) : 0974-6846
ISSN (Online) : 0974-5645
Similarity and Difference on Making Techniques
of U-Shape Jar Coffins in Yeongsan River Basin,
Southwestern Korea by Quantitative Analysis
Chan Hee Lee1*, Ran Hee Kim1, Hong Ju Jin1 and Ji Young Lee2
Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation Science, Kongju National University,
Gongju - 32588, Korea; chanlee@kongju.ac.kr, ranh@kongju.ac.kr, hj0301@kongju.ac.kr
2
Naju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Korea; name01@korea.kr
1
Abstract
Background/Objectives: This study is to compare the differences and commonness between the affinities of making
techniques through a quantitative analysis of jar coffins in the 5th to 6th century of Yeongsan river basin. Methods/
Statistical Analysis: The only known as production site to Oryangdong have a variety of occurrences and making skills.
There are composed mainly of quartz, alkali feldspar and biotite, which can be found in all jar coffins around the Najucentered consumption sites. Findings: Their firing temperature is divided into five groups, which widely vary at 700 to
1,200℃. The consumption sites were rather high with 700 to 1,150℃ while Naju-centered area. Bannam and Yeongam
area showed higher range of 1,050 to 1,150℃ in firing on jar coffins. Meanwhile, jar coffin tombs in the Yeongsan river
basin don’t have distinct local colors except main areas of Naju and each site shows various features. There are some
differences in characteristics of jar coffin remains excavated from many tombs in the Yeongsan river basin if we look into
them mainly with U-type jar coffins which are representative malformation of jar coffins excavated from production sites.
Applications/Improvement: It is a little unreasonable to say that U-type large jar coffins produced in Oryangdong were
widely distributed in the whole area of the Yeongsan river basin, and it is thought that they were distributed in some
adjacent area.
Keywords: Firing Temperature, Large Jar Coffin, Materials, Similarity and Differences, Yeongsan River Basin
1. Introduction
One of the most important archaeological sciences is the
utensil making techniques and provenance interpretation
of source materials for ancient artifacts. Understanding
such techniques is very important for tracking correctly
the ancient culture and living activities. Shards from
earthenware are the most common artifacts found during
excavation of archeological sites. Most archaeologists
have classified ancient earthenware by shapes and uses1,2.
The earthenware is capable of revealing many aspects
concerning an ancient culture including probable place
of manufacture and the provenance of the raw materials.
The mineralogical study and geochemical composition
of the earthenware analysis gives a clue about the firing
* Author for correspondence
temperature and also yields the information about the
potshards2-4.
U-shape large jar coffins, one of the most important
on ancient earthenware in Korean Peninsula, which
can bury full-sized adult, have been excavated from the
Naju area of the Yeongsan river basin in southwestern
Korean. They are discriminated from other area’s jar
coffins. Generally, jar coffin tombs in the area are densely
distributed along the Yeongsan river system. Oryangdong
site in Naju situated in midstream of the Yeongsan river
is known as the only production site up to now5,6. It is
generally understood that in Oryangdong during the fifth
and sixth century AD, a complete U-shaped jar coffins
were manufactured around the Naju area shown in Figure
1.
Similarity and Difference on Making Techniques of U-Shape Jar Coffins in Yeongsan River Basin, Southwestern Korea by
Quantitative Analysis
Large jar coffin tombs distributed along the Yeongsan
river system exist not only in Naju area of the only
production sites but also in adjacent consumption sites
of the Muan, Yeongam, Hampyeong and Haenam area.
For this research, selection was made on representative
consumption sites 25 points of U-shape jar coffins which
are estimated to have been manufactured at the same time
as the large jar coffins excavated from the Oryangdong
remain of Naju as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Location map of the large jar coffin tombs around
the Yeongsan river basin in southwestern Korea.
Figure 1. Representative U-shaped large jar coffins around
the 5th to 6th century of the Yeongsan river basin..
Most of jar coffins excluding Haenam area are
distributed in 20 km radius with the Oryangdong site.
According to distance from the Oryangdong site and
geographical characteristics, they were classified into 3
groups as Naju-centered area, mid- and upper-stream and
mid- and down-stream of the Yeongsan river system and
other sites; they were also classified into jar coffin tombs
in Nannam, Yeongam, Muan, Hampyeong and Haenam
area in Figure 2.
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As an effort to move away from the fragmentary
domains and to identify a more comprehensive and
empirical properties, natural scientific approaches
were employed for the studying the large jar coffins of
Yeongsan river basin, but most efforts were focused
on understanding the material characteristics and
homogeneity of jar coffins from each remain making it
difficult to understand the coffin culture of this area as
a whole. Also there are high archeological and historical
interests on production and distribution of large jar
coffins. The most prominent belief is that large jar coffins
were manufactured and distributed from Oryangdong,
and the production was mostly regional.
Therefore, this study conducted a quantitative analysis
on physical, microscopic, mineralogical, and geochemical
characteristics of large jar coffins excavated from jar coffin
tombs. Materials and making techniques of excavated
large jar coffins were reviewed and interpreted firing
temperature and material homogeneity at the time of
manufacturing through above analysis, and regional
characteristics of raw materials of large jar coffins were
considered through comparison with the Oryangdong
jar coffins which are the only production remain in the
Yeongsan river basin.
Indian Journal of Science and Technology
Chan Hee Lee, Ran Hee Kim, Hong Ju Jin and Ji Young LeeW
2. Occurrence and Methodology
2.1 Occurrence
Jar coffin specimens from the studied sites are sandy
textures whose surface patterns are differentiated by
lattice pattern. While they are not stereotype in surface
pattern, wall thickness and color, classification is possible,
but there is no mutual connection. The jar coffins
produced from the sites have a variety of surface colors
including grey to greyish blue, and some of them have
micro cracks and poor plasticity with matured expanding
texture on the surface. The typical U-shape jar coffins as
shown in Figure 1. They are broadly 16 to 78 mm thick
and particularly jar coffins with 30 mm or so thickness
have the biggest number in quantity.
The surface patterns of the experimental jar coffin
samples occurred with 8-types based on combination
of lattice patterns which are divided into two patterns
of rectangle-type and square-type with the scale of big
(RB, SB), medium (RM, SM) and small (RS, SS) patterns,
respectively. Size of each lattice shows big patterns ranged
from 7 to 8 mm, medium patterns show 5 to 6 mm, and
small patterns are less than 4 mm in scales, respectively,
shown in Figure 3. Sometimes, the pattern less specimen
and complex patterns of irregular rectangle and square
are observed.
Analytical samples were limited to clear property in
form, and they were pieces in body with various lattice
patterns, and showed diverse surface features from yellow
soft quality to gray-blue hard quality. Some jar coffins of
Naju main-centered areas located within 5km radius of
the Oryangdong site. The wall thickness of the jar coffins
in the area was about 23 to 53mm. The Bannam area,
Yeonam Sijong area, Muan and Hampyeong area showed
grey surface with high brightness and average about 23 mm
wall thickness. Whereas, some jar coffins of Songwoldong
and other sites showed 23 mm wall thickness so that we
could confirm regional characteristics.
2.2 Analytical Method
This research was examined similarity and difference
of jar coffins from the study area to figure out material
characteristics and firing temperature. First of all, physical,
microscopic, mineralogical and geochemical analyses
were conducted in order to determine scientific properties
of jar coffin samples. For physical analysis, measurements
were made with the whole Magnetic Susceptibility (SM30), chromaticity analysis (Minolta CR-300), bulk density
and absorption ratio (KS L-4008). As mineralogical
analysis to observe refined structure, observation was
done with stereoscope (Nikon SNZ1000), polarizing
microscope (Nikon Eclipse E 600W) and Scanning
Electron Microscope (FE-SEM; JEOL JSM-6335F).
In addition, heat characteristics of materials consisting
of jar coffin were grasped with X-ray diffraction analysis
(Rigaku DMAX2000) and thermal analysis (DTA-TG;
2000S, Mac Science, Co., Japan). Meantime, in order to
more clearly judge material homogeneity, quantitative
analysis was conducted on major elements, minor and
rare earth elements using X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis
(XRF), Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer And
Mass Spectrometer (ICP-AES, ICP-MS), and Instrumental
Neutron Activation Analysis (INNA) for interpretation of
geochemical behavior characteristics.
3. Result and Interpretation
3.1 Physical Property and Microtexture
Physical properties of the measured large jar coffins
have been divided into chromaticity analysis, whole
magnetic susceptibility, bulk density and absorption
Figure 3. Representative surface patterns showing large jar coffins from the Yeongsan river basin. (A) Big Rectangle (RB)
type, (B) Medium Rectangle (RM) type, (C) Medium Square (SM) type, (D) Big Square (SB) type patterns, respectively.
Vol 9 (39) | October 2016 | www.indjst.org
Indian Journal of Science and Technology
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Similarity and Difference on Making Techniques of U-Shape Jar Coffins in Yeongsan River Basin, Southwestern Korea by
Quantitative Analysis
ratio. Chromaticity analysis of jar coffins revealed that
measuring ranges of a* and b* were -3.52 to 9.37 and 3.33
to 79.39, respectively, having a chromatic range as wide
as visually inspected. Jar coffins from Naju area are low
in redness and yellowness and display dense distribution.
With the exception of coffins in Haenam, there is not
clear discrepancy in chromaticity distribution from each
region.
Whole magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed
that, with the exception of those from Jangdeung remains,
most coffins were below 5 (×10-3 SI unit). Especially, the
coffins found within 5km radius of Oryangdong site
display abnormal distribution curve below 1 (×10-3 SI
unit). Bulk density and absorption ratio measurements
disclosed that ranges of Naju, and Yeongam are most
extensive and similar, there are discrepancies with coffins
with over 10% water absorption ratio in other areas.
Alike the large jar coffins from Oryangdong site, the
production remains, have simple mineral compositions
with various quartz and alkali feldspar. On the violet
and glaucous hard cross section of a coffin fragments are
characteristic mica and micro-pores occurred during
thermal denaturalization. Under the microscopy, the jar
Stereoscopic Photographs
Polarizing
Microphotographs
coffins in the other area include a large quantity of various
quartz with micro crystalline and showed partly alkali
feldspar and biotite as shown in Figure 4. It is presumed
that the mineral sherds added to maintain the thick wall
and to control the percentage of contraction during
drying and firing of jar coffins, and it has contained about
11 to 20 %.
Of those coffins found in remain groups in Naju
including Ungokdong tombs, Bokamri and Dasidel,
Hwajeongri Masan tombs and Cheongsongri tombs
have similar surface textures that include stratified mica.
Tombs from Nampajung, Hwajeongri Masan tombs
and Cheongsongri tombs display some discrepancies.
Especially, the coffins in Haenam display different textural
properties with reduced content of rock fragments and
increased fine particles. Under the polarizing microscope,
revealed columnar white mica in coffins from Haenam.
This is comparable to the content of biotite from the
coffins found in Oryangdong sites shown in Figure 4.
Excluding mica, mullite and hercynite influenced by
high temperature firings, all samples had similar mineral
contents of quartz and alkali feldspars. However, a small
quantity of plagioclase was found in some coffins from
Scanning Electron
Micrographs
Figure 4. Representative microphotographs of large jar coffin samples from the Yeongsan river basin. UGP;
Ungokdong pottery, NDSP; Naju Dasidel pottery, NCSP; Naju Cheongsongri pottery, OSP; Yeongam Sinyeonri
pottery, ONP; Yeongam Naedongri pottery, HOP; Haenam Wonjinri Nongam pottery, NAP; Naju Bokamri pottery,
NNP; Naju Nampajung pottery, PCP; Hampyeong Cheongsuwon pottery, NCP; Naju Sinchonri pottery, MSP;
Muan Sachangri pottery, OJP; Yeongam Okyari pottery.
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Vol 9 (39) | October 2016 | www.indjst.org
Indian Journal of Science and Technology
Chan Hee Lee, Ran Hee Kim, Hong Ju Jin and Ji Young LeeW
Bannam Yongsan tombs, Hampyeong large coffin, Naju
Songweoldong coffin, and various coffins from Naju
Jangdongri remains. However, thermal analysis revealed
that no sample displayed DTA-TG curve and they are
distinguishable depending on exothermic peak some
similar overall.
3.2 Geochemistry and Firing Temperature
Geochemical composition of major elements (wt.%)
for large jar coffins from the Yeongsan river basin are
SiO2; 55.74 to 73.99, Al2O3; 12.19 to 22.82, and Fe2O3;
2.34 to 7.00, K2O; 2.27 to 3.87, respectively. With the
exception of some samples from Ungokdong, Bokamri,
Dasideul and Hwajeongri Masan remains in Naju,
geochemical properties of samples from each remain are
almost the similar. Naju Bannam and coffin fragments
from Yeongam are also generally similar with a minor
difference in element components. Coffins from Muan
and Hampyeong display discrepancies with sample that
are similar to coffins from Naju main remains.
Coffin samples from Naju Songweoldong, Jangdong
and Haenam remains display somewhat different
properties to samples from other areas, but coffins from
the same remain have similar behavior properties of
compatible and incompatible elements. This is interpreted
to reflect the geology of Yeongsan river basin and made
from materials from weathering of the same bed rock.
However, it is far-reaching to assume that the coffins from
Yeongsan river system are manufactured at the same time
or under the similar conditions.
The firing temperature of the ancient earthen were
provide basics for understanding many aspects of ancient
technology such as firing and functional relationships
between specific resource manufacturing combinations3,6.
Their firing temperatures from the study area are divided
into five groups, which widely vary at 700 to 1,200℃
as shown in Figure 5. And they share geochemically
considerable homogeneity in terms of material science.
Meanwhile jar coffin tombs in the Yeongsan river basin
don’t have distinct local colors except main areas of Naju,
and each site shows various features. Respectively, each
of jar coffins in Jangdeung, Songwoldong and Jangdongri
of Naju and jar coffins in Haenam areas showed clear
characteristics one and another.
The firing temperature of jar coffins in the Yeongsan
river basin ranged from 700 to 1,200℃ and most of jar
coffins unearthed from main areas of Naju, including
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tombs in Ungokdong6,7, were coffin fragments fire in 1,050
to 1,150℃. Sample cores of jar coffins found in Bannam
of Naju and Yeongam areas also had a large number of
jar coffin fire in 1,050 to 1,150℃. On the other hand, no
jar coffins fire in 1,050℃ or higher were found in other
areas, excluding tombs in Cheongsuwon. Therefore, to
determine that the large jar coffins U-shaped produced in
Oryangdong site is circulated Yeongsan river basin whole
area, there is some difficulty.
Figure 5. Summary on firing temperatures showing large
jar coffins around the Yeongsan river basin. (A, B, C) Firing
temperature groups of jar coffins by area, analysis year
and type of the Oryangdong. (D, E) Grouping of firing
temperature for jar coffin sites of Yeongsan river basin. SS;
small square type, SM; medium square type, SB; big square
type, RS; small rectangle type, RM; medium rectangle type,
RB; big rectangle type, R&S; irregular rectangle and square
type.
4. Concluding Remarks
The Naju main-centered remains classified into the
Oryangdong production remains of the large jar coffin
Indian Journal of Science and Technology
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Similarity and Difference on Making Techniques of U-Shape Jar Coffins in Yeongsan River Basin, Southwestern Korea by
Quantitative Analysis
and the adjacent consumption remains had a lot of
selected samples, and therefore they had wide physical
characteristics between the samples, but they shared
almost same material characteristics due to considerable
containing of stratiform mica in about 1mm except
some samples. Bannam area group commonly has
unclear and irregular material characteristics, but it was
geochemically very similar except clayey jar coffin pieces
of Yongsan group. Other jar coffins of consumption sites
in the Yeongsan river basin had material scientific clear
characteristics as per remains.
Jar coffins of Sinyeonri and Mansuri in Yeongam area
are grey colors containing stratiform mica with thin wall
and they are distinct from those in Yeongam area with
brown colors in most cases. In particular, jar coffins of
Mansuri has homogeneity with Naju main-centered sites.
Material characteristics of jar coffins in Cheongsuwon
ancient tombs of Hampyeong area were similar to those of
Naju-centered sites but jar coffins in Banam sites had thin
wall without stratiform mica and plagioclase was detected
from some samples exhibiting difference.
Stratiform mica was verified from all the jar coffin
samples in Muan area in which Gusanri and Sachangri
ancient tombs were located and their behavior
characteristics were almost same as jar coffins in Najucentered sites but brown jar coffins with low brightness
showed some difference from Naju area. Also, they
displayed some deficiency in the rare earth elements.
Meantime, Haenam area showed a considerable
difference from the jar coffins in the Yeongsan river
basin from the aspect of physical, microscopic, and
mineralogical characteristics, and they had clear difference
from the aspect of thin wall, chromaticity, cross section,
composition muscovite and chemical composition. Firing
temperature range of consumption sites in the Yeongsan
river basin was rather high with 700 to 1,200℃ while
Naju-centered area, Bannam and Yeongam area showed
higher share of 1,050 to 1,150℃ in calcination jar coffins.
Bunning jar coffins over 1,050℃ were not found in other
area which shows regional differences.
Overall review of this study shows that there are
some differences in characteristics of jar coffins excavated
from many tombs in the Yeongsan river basin if we
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Vol 9 (39) | October 2016 | www.indjst.org
look into them mainly with U-type jar coffins which
are representative malformation of jar coffins excavated
from production sites. It is a little unreasonable to say
that U-type large jar coffins produced in Oryangdong site
were widely distributed in the whole area of the Yeongsan
river basin and therefore, it is thought that they were
distributed in some adjacent partial area.
5. Acknowledgments
This study was carried out R&D Project (NRICH1407-B12F-1) supported by the Cultural Heritage
Administration (National Research Institute of Cultural
Heritage), Republic of Korea.
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Indian Journal of Science and Technology