Researchers in Korea discovered ritual vessels and numerous wooden objects from the 1st to the 4th centuries. They unearthed 15 long‑legged wooden dishes, known in academia as Duhyeong Mokgi. Maeil Business reported that the dishes had a neck diameter of 1 cm, in contrast to the 3‑4 cm typically found on earlier examples. Each plate featured a hole at its base, which indicated the use of a lathe and a rotary cutting technique practiced during the Byeonhan period 2,000 years ago.
Investigations at the Gimhae Bonghwang‑dong site, thought to be the royal palace and tomb area of the Geumgwan Gaya confederacy, revealed evidence of independent living in the 1st century. Dozens of lacquered ritual vessels were recovered, including a ceremonial dish with a long neck and a delicate design. One well‑preserved vessel measured 25.7 cm in height with a 10.4‑cm base, its slender legs supporting a dish‑shaped upper section. The artifact further demonstrated the continued use of a rotary cutting technique introduced in the early Bronze Age and refined during the Byeonhan period.
At the Gyeongnam Haman‑gun Gayari site, excavators uncovered a water collection facility measuring 10 meters in diameter and at least 2 meters deep. The reservoir, which stored water within the fortress area, was recorded for the first time among Gaya relics. It contained a large amount of organic material and mud that investigators expected to provide more details on Gaya life and ritual customs.
Over 300 wooden objects—including lacquerware, jars, and utensils—were recovered from a 109‑square‑meter area. Among these items were wooden containers modeled after earthenware jars used in 1st‑century Samhan rituals. One jar stood 17.2 cm tall with a body diameter of 15.3 cm. Other finds, such as knife‑shaped lacquerware and bird‑shaped wooden objects, resembled items from Japanese sites and suggested maritime exchange in the region.
“The lacquered ritual vessels made of willow wood are the same as the ritual vessels we use now. We can say that tradition existed 2,000 years ago,” said Oh Chun‑young, director of the National Gaya Cultural Heritage Research Institute, according to Aju News. “All 15 pieces of duhyung lacquerware were made on willow wood, and the artifacts prove that the Gimhae region’s group grew in the Bonghwang‑dong area and established Geumgwan Gaya,” he added. Oh also predicted that the Gaya ruins could compare in scale to Gyeongju’s Wolseong and noted, “Panchuk walls and water reservoirs have been found in Baekje and Silla sites, but it is the first time they have been found in Gaya royal sites,” according to Aju News.
Investigators recovered daily‑use wooden items such as spoons, bowls, cups, handles for woodworking tools, bone pieces used for divination, and small earthenware products.“It is astonishing how artisans and users of that time imagined and realized such shapes,” one researcher said.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
