뉴스레터

The 2010 International Conference on Petroglyphs Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Discovery of Korean Petroglyphs was held in October. Participating in the conference were 16 experts from 11 countries, including Professor Emeritus Moon Myung-dae, who was the first to discover petroglyphs in Korea. Their presentations and discussions served as an opportunity for an in-depth examination of the cultural and art-historical significance of Korean petroglyphs vis-à-vis Asian and global petroglyphs as well as the ancient history and cultural origins of the Korean people. We met with Professor Emeritus Moon Myung-dae to learn about Korean petroglyphs on the 40th anniversary of their discovery. _Editor's Note

Moon, Myung-dae

As the discoverer of Korean petroglyphs, what are your thoughts and feelings on the 40th anniversary of petroglyphs' discovery?

It occurred to me that so much time has passed. This year is all the more meaningful since I cannot say that 10 years from now, on the 50th anniversary, I would still be as actively engaged in research. That is why I am working on putting together special events to mark this meaningful year.

Let's go back 40 years to when you were excavating the site. Were there any challenges?

As is well known, I accidentally stumbled upon the petrogylphs during a 3-year survey of Buddhist sites in the Ulsan area. I was in Bangudae, surveying a site thought to be where Bango Temple had once stood. When I first saw the petroglyphs, I thought they might be a part of a Buddhist carving on a rock cliff. Upon closer inspection, however, I could make out geometric patterns on the rock. There were also written characters that seemed to have been authored by a member of the Hwarang (an elite group of male youth of Silla) named Yeong Rang. A reporter who was accompanying me on the survey wrote an article entitled "Hwarang Site Discovered", which was published on January 1 1971 in Hankook Ilbo. But I had lingering questions about my discovery. I researched foreign books and learned that the geometric patterns, similar to those found in petroglyphs in Siberia, were prehistoric petroglyphs. I continued my research, and in November of the same year, I presented by findings at a history symposium. My discovery was the first of its kind in Korea, so the greatest challenge was that the research took a long time as I had no one to turn to for insight or support nor did I have any resources to consult.

Please tell us about petroglyph research in the Korean scholarly community after your discovery.

In the year following my discovery of the petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-ri, Bangudae, I returned to the site for a more thorough survey with a group of colleagues who had expressed interest in the endeavor. Local residents pointed us to another site, and that is how we discovered the petroglyphs in Daegok-ri. Unlike the first discovery, I could not contain my excitement as I had done extensive research on petroglyphs and knew what the patterns I saw signified. I spent the next 3-4 years organizing a research report on my findings, but I could not publish it as I was unable to find any source of financial support. The opportunity came only some 10 years later. Hwang Su-yeong, who had been the director of the director of Dongguk University Museum when the petroglyphs were first discovered, became the president of Dongguk University. He offered to get my report published. The budget was tight back then, but the report was published in color, not very common at that time. After my book was published, the research on petroglyphs took off in Korea. We began seeing doctoral theses on petrogylphs, and younger researchers even established an academic society for the study of petrogylphs. Many petroglyphs at sites other than Bangudae and Daegok-ri have been discovered and studied thereafter.

What are the limitations of petrogylph research in Korea?

Personally, my research focus had shifted to the Silk Road, extending from Pakistan to China, since 1983, so I have not been able to spend much time on researching petroglyphs. At an international conference held in Ulsan 10 years ago, I was very happy to see that my juniors had brought about significant advances to the study of petroglyphs. What is unfortunate is that while a lot petroglyph research has been done in the fields of folk study and archeology, not many art historians have explored the subject. Petroglyphs are a form of prehistoric art. As the very word suggests, they are sculptures and paintings on rocks. That is why it is crucial that petrogylphs are studied as a representative form of prehistoric art. The dearth of research seems to stem from the lack of researchers specializing in prehistoric art. I want to bring attention to this matter as a part of my efforts to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the discovery of the petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-ri.

With the opening of the Ulsan Petroglyph Museum two years ago, the public has become more interested in petroglyphs. What is the cultural and historical significance of Korean petrogylphs?

Petroglyphs is a compendium of prehistoric culture. In a sense, it is a "history book" with which one can undertake a comprehensive study of prehistoric culture. The petroglyphs in Cheonjeon-ri, for instance, include data and information spanning from ancient Silla to the Unified Silla period that are not in any historical texts. Prime ministers, members of Hwarang, and members of the royal family visited the site and left records of their names and the details of their visits. Some even recorded that they are recording their visit on a rock etched with textual records. According to Samguk Sagi, the geometric patterns on the rock can be regarded as pictographs predating the introduction of Chinese characters to Silla from China through Baekje. Petroglyphs contain Korea's history from the end of the Neolithic Period to the Bronze Age. They are thus historic relics that embody the Korean culture from 3,000 BCE-2,000 BCE.

In October, the Northeast Asian History Foundation hosted an international conference on the theme "Petroglyphs of the World: Their Interpretation and Preservation". The conference was an opportunity to examine the excavation and preservation of petroglyphs overseas, including those found in Mongolia, Russia, as well and their historical and cultural linkages. What are the similarities and differences between Korean petroglyphs and those in Russia and Mongolia?

Korean petroglyphs, like comb-pattern pottery, were influenced by the "northern cultures" that spanned across Siberia's Amur River to Finland, Sweden, and Norway. That is why the petroglyphs found in Korea exhibit many similarities to those found in these northern regions, including the shapes and forms of the geometric patterns and how humans and animals are portrayed together. The difference is that Korean petroglyphs do not exceed 50cm and hundreds of animal images are crowded together on a small surface. The etchings are in multiple layers, which is something unique to Korean petrogylphs. The sculpting techniques used were sophisticated and exceptional even from a global standpoint.

There is a lot of controversy concerning how petroglyphs should be preserved.

I don't believe there is a conflict of interest between local residents and those who support the preservation of cultural relics. Cultural properties bring a lot of domestic and international attention to the areas in which they are found. Thus, petroglyphs can bring significant added value to local communities. If people are aware of this, they would think about how best they can preserve petroglyphs and other cultural assets. At one point, the residents of Ulsan were going to raise the area's dam to secure a more stable water supply. However, the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Properties opposed the measure as it could lead to the flooding of the area in and around Cheonjeon-ri. In the end, another dam was built toward the upper reaches of the river. As this case illustrates, interested parties can work together to find alternatives that can satisfy all sides. The preservation of petroglyphs need not be a cause of disagreement, which is why it is all the more regrettable that it often causes conflicts and confrontations.

There are voices of concern regarding the indiscriminate development of the areas immediately surrounding petroglyphs. Is there a way to preserve world cultural heritage while also making it accessible to the public and other world?

It is important to develop and organize the immediate surroundings of cultural properties to allow more people to see and experience them up close and personal. So long as the method and effect of the development is eco-friendly, I don't see any problems with it. If there is a will, this can certainly be achieved. If a local community doesn't know how to make this happen, experts can be consulted. If a given community can set up a committee of experts, it can surely find ways to preserve a cultural property in the area while also developing the immediate surroundings of the cultural property to the benefit of local residents.

What are the next steps for petroglyph research in Korea?

In a nutshell, we must adopt diverse approaches to the study while not forgetting the essence of petroglyphs. There is a need for the research on petroglyphs to adopt diverse and new approaches. Petroglyphs must also be studied within a larger historical framework. Petroglyphs are prehistoric art and culture. We must always remember this essential fact while striving to draw attention to prehistoric art and culture within the larger framework of Korean history. In this regard, the 2010 International Conference on Petroglyphs Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Discovery of Korean Petroglyphs in November has looked at petroglyphs within the larger context of prehistoric art. We invited many researchers specializing in sculpture and painting. We intentionally issued specific topics to motivate them in their research. That is why this conference will be very different from previous conferences on the topic. I believe that if we foster researchers and encourage more studies in the field, we will continue to build on our research findings and make progress.

What are your current area(s) of focus other than petroglyphs? Or do you have a topic you would like to study in the future?

I am working on two academic conferences coming up next year. One is the relatively large-scale "International Conference on Seokuram, Toham-san", while the other is "Collection of Documentary Cultural Properties and the Iconographic Study of Joseon Art". We, at the Art History Research Institute of Korea, hold 2-3 academic conferences every year. In the years to come, I would like to continue with my research on the Silk Road that I had started a while back. It had been my lifelong dream to study and write about the cultures of the Silk Road, extending across Pakistan and China all the way to Korea. However, I feel that it will be up to my juniors to complete the study. I had wanted to complete it myself, but due to various circumstances—especially the lack of continued funding, the study had to be halted here and there. It is unfortunate that the completed research reports, which are in temporary binding, are collecting dust in a file cabinet. I sincerely hope that my research reports will bring to light the importance of the subject matter so that my successors can complete the work with a stable source of funding.

How can the Northeast Asian History Foundation contribute to the study of petroglyphs?

As far as I know, the Northeast Asian History Foundation is the only government organization conducting research on petroglyphs. However, the Foundation does not have enough specialists on the subject to carry out the research on its own. My hope is that with the Foundation at the center, a system for supporting continued research on petroglyphs can be formed. As is the case with any field of research, it is important to keep the study going.