Because of Korea's geographical location, many foreign elements inform her archaeological past. However, Korea has been able to maintain a national homogeneity through the ages despite foreign influences. Throughout her history, Korea has served as a "cultural bridge" between China and Japan. Korean art is often analyzed as being the first to be influenced by continental culture as well as a transmitter of culture to her island neighbor. There is a need to explore the Korean uniqueness in art.

Korea's Stone Age Arts

Culture Sites

Culture sites in Korea have been discovered and dated as far back as 30,000BC to the Paleolithic period, but the oldest artifacts are dated from 20,825BC. During the Stone Age, when the peoples of the peninsula began to develop a sedentary lifestyle centered around an agriculture economy.

Tools and Pottery

Artifacts retrieved from shell mounds or middens suggest that Korean society was a combination of hunters and fishers and agriculturalists. The most common artifacts of the era include stone knives, stone axes, other stone tools, and bone tools.

The pottery of this age is divided into two distinct types: comb-patterned and agriculture. The comb-pattern pottery is named because of inscribed decorative patterns such as meanders, waves, saw-tooth designs, and diamond shapes.

These pottery types are the products of seaside or riverside dwellers. Agriculture pottery, on the other hand, is undecorated and noted for its reddish-brown colors. The most common forms of these types of pottery were as bowls, dishes, and vases.

Korea's Bronze Age Arts ~1200BC

Dolmens

Distinctive architecture styles of the Korean peninsula begin with the discovery of dolmens. A dolmen is a prehistoric monument made of a large flat slab of stone laid across upright stones. The stone implements found in the proximity of these dolmen sites confirm that the peoples of this era were settled agriculturists. The monuments are said to bear unknown religious significance.

Pottery

There are two distinct pottery types from Bronze Age Korea. The Black pottery type consists of wares with comb-markings and also wares without surface designs. This seems to be a synthesis of the two types from the Stone Age. The second pottery culture is the Red-Painted type. This prevailed in the northeastern-most regions of the peninsula. It is suggested that this pottery type be introduced via the inner continent.

Metallic Artifacts

The Bronze Age provides evidence that the Chinese culture penetrated the Korean region well before the fifth century BC. The proof is contained in Korea's first bronze-working products, such as bronze mirrors, knives, bells, and other ceremonial utensils. All of these artifacts are very similar stylistically to Chinese relics of the period.

Korea's Iron Age Arts ~300BC

Tools and Weapons

The southern regions of the peninsula participated in trade with China and Japan by the Iron Age. Agricultural developments and military affairs were also becoming important aspects of Iron Age society. In fact, iron-working was introduced to Korea from the outside and this technique complemented Korean bronze works. Weapons also became more practical and broke free from purely ceremonial uses. Mirrors were still important for ritualistic use. Horse-trappings were developed during this period. The inhabitants of the Korean peninsula advanced their metalworking skills in the Iron Age.

The Arts of the Three Kingdoms

Cultural developments from the Three Kingdoms period include the introduction of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism from China. Of these, Buddhism became the main religion for the common man and the ruling aristocracy both. From the influence of Buddhism, Korea derived new forms of music, painting, architecture, and statue designs. There were also contributions from Confucianism to Korean development during this period. Governmental models, written histories and the advancement of calligraphy as both an art and a basic skill are Confucian inputs. Distinctively Korean arts are identifiable from the Three Kingdoms period.

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