Korea's prehistoric petroglyphs receive Unesco World Heritage designation

The Unesco World Heritage Committee on Saturday declared that "Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream" be formally recognized for their "unique testament to a rock carving tradition that continued for around 6,000 years from prehistoric times.”

Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon stream in Ulju County, Ulsan [JOONGANG ILBO]

Prehistoric rock carvings in the southeastern city of Ulsan have been added to Unesco's World Heritage list, the Korea Heritage Service announced Saturday.

The 47th session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee held in Paris on the same day declared that "Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream" had been formally recognized for their "unique testament to a rock carving tradition that continued for around 6,000 years from prehistoric times.”

It further emphasized that “the realistic depictions, drawn with remarkable observational skill and distinctive composition, reflect the artistic sensibility of the people who lived on the Korean Peninsula,” calling the site “a masterpiece shaped by the creativity of prehistoric humans.”

The latest inscription marks Korea's 17th entry on the Unesco World Heritage list.

A cliff featuring petroglyphs along the Bangucheon stream in Ulju County, Ulsan.[KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

Discovered in 1970 and 1971, the "Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream" consist of two parts. The Bangudae Petroglyphs in Ulsan's Ulju County are etched on a cliff face along the the Bangu Stream, a stream in Ulsan, covering a rock surface approximately 4.5 meters (15 feet) high and 8 meters wide. The carvings depict marine and land animals as well as hunting scenes.

The petroglyphs in nearby Cheonjeon-ri, also in Ulju, feature over 620 figures and symbols carved into a rock surface approximately 2.7 meters high and 10 meters wide. The site is especially notable for its abstract patterns, such as rhombuses and circles, believed to have been engraved during the Bronze Age.

Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon stream in Ulju County, Ulsan [YONHAP]

It also depicts inscriptions believed to have been left during the reign of King Beopheung (r. 514-540) of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935), providing valuable insights into Silla society in the sixth century, per experts.

The Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea has previously described the petroglyphs as a “heritage site that encapsulates the aesthetic expressions and cultural transitions of coastal communities in southeastern Korea from the Neolithic to the Silla period.”

BY LEE JIAN, JUNG SIN-AE [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]