Analysis of Production Technology and Distribution Patterns of Pottery Excavated from the Hwacheon Woncheon-ri Site

Abstract

In this paper, a series of scientific analyses were conducted on Baekje pottery excavated from the Hwacheon Woncheon-ri site in order to explore the possibility of distribution of pottery which was produced in the central area of Baekje to this site, as well as to identify the nature of the production technology at this site. To this end, Baekje ceramic samples excavated from the site of Woncheon-ri, Hwacheon were selected. In addition, ceramic samples from the Gyeongdang District of Pungnab Fortress were also selected and analyzed as contemporaneous, comparable artifacts. In order to increase the resolution of the provenance study, Ceramic Petrography and Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis were adopted. As a result, it could be identified that utilitarian pottery and prestige pottery from the Woncheon-ri site in Hwacheon shared common attributes in terms of the raw material that was used. This result strongly suggests that at least some of the vessels had been produced by the same production group or community. In addition, prestige ceramics excavated from the Woncheon-ri site illustrate a pattern of separation from the prestige ceramics of Pungnab Fortress, which suggests that the prestige pottery of the Baekje center may not have been distributed to the Hwacheon area during this period. In other words, it appears likely that the production community of prestige pottery may have operated within or around the Hwacheon area at the time.