Mural reveals ancient connection to Uzbekistan

Fascinating! As a side note, it was at Afrasiab that several firgural ivory pieces were excavated that were positively identifed as pieces belonging to a chess set, dating to c. 761CE. From JoongAng Daily The painting is significant because it could prove Korea sent envoys to Uzbekistan in the 7th century. November 27, 2009 In most cases, replicas of ancient treasures or great works of art are treated with contempt. But with relics that are at risk of aging or disintegration, replicas can play an integral role in our understanding of the original works and the time in which they were made. In 1965, a mural was discovered in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, when local authorities decided to build a road in the middle of the Afrasiab tepe. A tepe is a mound marking an ancient site, in this case pre-Mongol Samarkand. When it was found, the mural was weathered and its images obscured. But those who discovered it had the foresight to make a drawing of it, from which replicas have been made. A replica of this mural is now being shown as part of the exhibit “The Crossroads of Civilizations: The Asian Culture of Uzbekistan” until September of next year at the National Museum of Korea’s Asian Arts Gallery. The relics in the exhibition show the historical connection between ancient Korea and Uzbekistan through the Silk Road. Considering the distance and the travel routes in place at the time, the history of the relationship that developed between the two countries is indeed remarkable. The mural is significant because it could prove that Korea sent envoys to Uzbekistan via the Silk Road as early as the 7th century. In the 7th century, the mural covered all four walls of a room in Afrasiab Palace in Samarkand, with each wall depicting a different scene. The western wall depicts what are believed to be two Korean men from the Goguryeo Dynasty (37 B.C.-668) having an audience with the king. “The faces of the delegates are difficult to see, but the painting features a clear image of a jougwan,” the press release said. A jougwan is a hat that was worn by the men of Goguryeo and is decorated with a bird’s feather. The actual nationality of the two men in the painting was long debated by specialists, with some saying that their clothing shows they are from the Silla (57 B.C.-935) or Balhae (698-926) eras. With the revelation of the jougwan, however, many have concluded that the men are from the Goguryeo era. The exhibition also displays 150 other relics from the prehistoric age to the 8th century in Uzbekistan, ranging from a Buddha with western features to a machine used by followers of Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion, used to cremate the dead. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. It is closed on Mondays. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.museum.go.kr.

Discovery of Ancient Armor Proves Myth

From the JoongAng Daily (Seoul) - very interesting article, with lots of graphics. The horse armor is especially fascinating. I wonder if this could have been the model for much later horse armor used in Europe??? Ancient Silla armor comes to light The recent discovery of the armor of Silla Dynasty cavalrymen has provided proof of the existence of these mythical men. July 22, 2009 By Lee Kyong-hee GYEONGJU - The warrior’s body and bones are long gone, decayed into the soil. But the armor that once protected him from enemy swords and arrows has survived the passage of time and has been revealed for the first time in 1,600 years. The armor of the heavily protected cavalrymen of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. - A.D. 935) - proof of which has previously existed only in paintings - was discovered in the ancient tombs of the Jjoksaem District of Hwango-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang. The Jjoksaem District has the largest concentration of ancient Silla Dynasty tombs in Korea. The armor was believed to have been used by Silla warriors sometime between the fourth and sixth centuries. Although the discovery may not be as impressive as the terra-cotta figures of ancient China, it is just as important to the field of archaeology in Korea. This is the first time such a vast array of the armor of the cavalrymen of the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C. - A.D. 668) has been unearthed in such good condition. The Three Kingdoms era in Korea refers to the period in which three kingdoms - Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla - ruled the country. Last month, archaeologists at the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and officials of the Cultural Heritage Administration opened the excavation site to the public. The armor on display included complete sets of scale armor and barding, or armor for horses. “This is the first time in East Asia that such complete sets of the armor of the heavily armed cavalrymen have been found,” Lee Geon-mu, the chief of the Cultural Heritage Administration, said. “It’s also the first evidence of the existence of the Silla cavalrymen.” Rest of article.

2,000 Year Old Woman Found in Chosun!

Wow - what do those people eat? Drink? Smoke? Oops - headline neglects to indicate that the 2,000 year old woman is DEAD and is a SKELETON. LOL! 2,000-Year-Old Woman Found in Incheon (Korea) December 11, 2008 A well-preserved adult female skeleton dating back 2,000 years ago has been unearthed in Yeongjong Island, Incheon. The Korea Institute for Archeology and Environment, an agency specializing in unearthing and studying buried cultural properties, on Wednesday said it unearthed the skeleton lying supine with its head facing northwest in a burial mound at the bottom layer of a shell mound relic site in Unnam-dong, Jung-gu in District 2 of Yeongjong Haneul Town in the Incheon Free Economic Zone. "In light of the size of the femur, we presume that the skeleton once belonged to a 153.6 cm-tall adult female,” the institute said. “She is presumed to have given birth to two to three babies. A long egg-shaped maroon earthen jar which was discovered near the skeleton contained apparent fragments of an infant's skull and lower jawbone.” It said the finds will provide a lot of information for archeological research about people in an era about which little is known. Pieces of earthenware dating to the early days of the Three Kingdoms Period from centuries before Christ's birth to the third and fourth centuries were also excavated from this shell mound. Also found there were coins made in the Chinese Han Dynasty [circa 220 BCE - 220 CE].