How was the site discovered?

The prehistoric dwelling site in Amsa-dong has been one of the biggest settlement sites of the Neolith Era on the Korean peninsular. Relics of the plain earthenware presumed to be from the Bronze Age were also found on the southeastern part of the site.

Archeologists have unearthed remains both from the Neolith Era and the Bronze Age at the site, assuming that this history-long place was established during the intermingling period between the two cultures. The site also has a variety of archeological materials providing evidences of the beginning of the agricultural culture, thus making the site one of the most important historical remains to trace the prehistoric ages on the peninsular.

The site was first discovered when the flood in 1925 swept away sands on the hills thus surfacing a lot of comb-design earthenware. The comb-design earthenware is the characteristic of the Neolith Era.

The prehistoric settlement site in Amsa-dong has been designated as the Important Historic Place No. 267 on July 26, 1979 and has been open to public since August 1988.


 

How did people from the Neolith Era live?


People from the Neolith Era made dugouts with their bottoms deep from the surface. A number of dugouts were found on the broad level land along the Hangang (River) thus showing that the lives of the people in the dugouts were closely related with fishing. The idea is supported by the discovery of fishing tools such as fishing net weights and fish spears. Also the excavations of the arrowheads on the site explain that the same people practiced hunting. The acorns found at the site with grinding boards and grinding stones signify that their staple food must have been acorns. The people of the dugouts are also assumed to have engaged in dry-field farming because the agricultural tools such as a plough and a stone sickle were unearthed at the site.

The dugout is a representing form of housing during the Neolithic Era while the caves are also found during the same period. The typical dugouts have their floors on the lower layer of the ground with their rafters touched above the ground without walls.

The dugouts from the Neolithic Era were built on the riverside hills or riverside fields. The hollows are about 50-100 cm deep and have either round or square shapes, which have their angles, rounded. The hollows had interior facilities including a cooking stove at the center and a roof above. The cooking stoves were made of stones or clay and had either round, oval or rectangle shapes. The purposes of the stoves were for heating the dugouts and for cooking.

The floors were made of clay and did not have any facilities. The floors are supposed to have either grass or animal skins on them. About 2 or 3 persons are supposed to have lived at a small size dugout and 5 or 6 persons in a large one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 


The Deoksugung (Palace) is a Historic Site No. 124 with a total area of 61,500m2. When the Japanese invasion was ended in 1592, the then king settled in a private mansion for a prince located in the present site of the Deoksugung (Palace) and used it as a temporary royal residence because all the royal palaces were destroyed by the war fire. It was named the Gyeongungung later by Gwanghaegun. King Gojong and his court took refuge here when his queen consort Myeongseong was assassinated by some Japanese in 1895. He had the Gyeongungung expanded and declared to establish 'the Daehan Empire', an imperial government, here.

Then some buildings, including the Seokjojeon (Hall), and a garden in the western style were constructed, all of which make a unique harmony with other traditional constructions in the palace. The name of the Deoksugung, meaning 'a Place of Virtuous Longevity' and referring to the abdicated king's residence, was given when the King Gojong was forced to abdicate the throne to his Crown Prince and the new king moved to the Changdeokgung (Palace) in 1907.

 

The Gyeongbokgung is the place where the affairs of state were conducted and numerous kings had lived in for 500 years during the Joseon Dynasty. Built on a suitable scale, it is not extravagant, which shows and symbolizes the upright politics. Please take a walk and experience 500-year history of the Joseon Dynasty in the palace.

History of Gyeongbokgung (Palace)

Built by 15,000 populace with Buddhist priests from all round the nation, Gyeongbokgung (palace) has symbolized the Joseon Dynasty as the main palace of it. The construction work was concluded in
10 months since it began in the fourth year of the reign of King Taejo (the year 1395). Surrounded by mountains of Mt. Naksan, Mt. Inwangsan, and Mt. Bugaksan, it is located on a propitious site according to the theory of geomancy. It was completed with 390 rooms during the reign of King Taejo and expanded later, but afterwards it was burnt out during the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. And Heungseon Daewongun, father of King Gojong, restored it in 1865, around the end of the Joseon Dynasty.

Most of the buildings were burnt down during the Japanese Invasion in the 25th year of the reign of King Seonjo and left in ruins for two hundred and seventy three years. In the second year of the reign of King Gojong (1865), Daewongun I Ha-eung who held the political powers disclosed his plans for rebuilding Gyeongbokgung to raise the dignity of a royal family and show off his power. He set up Yeonggeondogam to conduct the construction works. In spite of the conflict of opinions in court, he payed no attention to the opposed opinions and forced the restoring work to begin. Finally, the restoring work was concluded in the ninth year of the reign of King Gojong (1872) and Gyeongbokgung gained the present feature as the crystallization of the architecture, technology, and art in the late Joseon. Gyeongbokgung was restored to the original scale at that time. However, it lost its role of royal palace as the queen consort Myeongseong Hwanghu was assassinated by some Japanese at Geoncheonggung in 1895 (the 32nd year of King Gojong's reign) and King Gojong took refuge to Deoksugung (Palace) (the "Agwanpacheon" affair) in February in the following year. Still, Gyeongbokgung has its features of the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty, showing off the history of 500 years with buildings such as Geunjeongjeon and Gyeonghoeru and the rear gardens like Amisan and Hyangwonjeong in it.

 

 
 
 
 
Changdeokgung, the Palace of Illustrious Virtue, is best known for its rear garden called Biwon (the Secret Garden). King Taejong, the third ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, as a secondary palace, originally built it in 1405. Since the 15th King Gwanghaegun moved the seat of gonvernment from Gyeongbokgung (Palace) to Changdeokgung (Palace) in 1615, kings ruled the country here for about 300 years. Registered on 'UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List' in December, 1997, Changdeokgung (Palace) contains a treasure of invaluable cultural properties from the Joseon Dynasty.

The History of Changdeokgung (Palace)

Changdeokgung (Palace) was constructed in 1405 as the detached palace of Gyeongbokgung (Palace), the Joseon Dynasty's main palace. Some buildings were added during the reign of King Sejong, which include Jiphyeonjeon, the Hall of Worthies, Seonjeongjeon, the Hall of Good Administration, and Jangseogak, the Court Book Depository. Unfortunately, the palace was burnt down during the Japanese Invasion in 1592. Restoration was begun in 1606 (the 39th year of King Seonjo) and completed in 1610 (the 2nd year of King Gwanghaegun).

Changdeokgung (Palace) has been rebuilt due to damages by several fires. The palace was partially destroyed in the course of the deposing of tyrant King Gwanghaegun by the successor King Injo in 1623. Injeongjeon, the Throne Hall, was burnt down in 1803 and rebuilt in the following year. Some buildings, including Huijeongdang and Daejojeon, the king's and queen's bedchambers, were burnt down in 1917.

Changdeokgung is not only a splendid palace preserving the architecture of the Joseon Dynasty but one that was used as the seat of royal regime for 258 years over the reigns of thirteen kings, witnessing many ups and downs of the dynasty. In this respect Changdeokgung is of greater historical value than Gyeongbokgung (Palace). Restoration work of ruined buildings is under way to recover the original state of the palace, which is scheduled to complete until the end of 2003.

Well tuned with nature, the rear garden of Changdeokgung features the showcase of traditional Korean garden landscaping. Twenty-eight buildings including exquisite pavilions and manors remain intact. Although individual is restricted to enter in a bid to better preserve its natural conditions, guided tours are allowed.

As Changdeokgung (Palace) has best preserved the original superb palatial architecture among the many palaces built in the Joseon Dynasty, it has been designated as Historical Site No. 122. It was honored by registration in UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage in December 1997.



Bulgogi

Bulgogi is one of the most popular Korean foods with both Koreans and foreigners. In Korean bul means "fire" and gogi means "meat." Prior to the use of the name bulgogi, which started around 1950, neobiani played a similar role in Korean cuisine. This is a court dish of ground meat seasoned with soybean sauce and sizzled in a pan.

Bulgogi uses thin slices of beef that are marinated in soy sauce, dark sesame oil, spring onions, and other seasonings. The marinated beef slices are cooked on a dome-shaped grill with charcoal or a tabletop burner.


Galbi (Ribs)

Another popular Korean food is galbi, short ribs of beef or pork. The cooking style and ingredients are as same as for bulgogi but for galbi a regular barbeque grill such as is used for hamburgers will do because the pieces of meat for galbi are larger than those for bulgogi. Usually a restaurant serving a savory bulgogi also serves a savory galbi.




 

Seolleongtang

It is told that seolleongtang used to be a local Seoul dish eaten by commoners. It is a beef broth made from cow soup bones boiled for many hours. Usually it is seasoned with sesame seeds, salt, pepper, scallions and sesame oil. It is served as a main meal with rice. Many people enjoy eating seolleongtang with diced radish kimchi, kkakttugi.

According to Korean history, seolleongtang originated in King Sejong's reign. It is said that the king went to Seonnongdan, where the people were praying for a good harvest and plowing a rice field. While they were plowing, it began to rain heavily, so heavily that they could not even move to another place, but became hungry. They butchered a cow and made soup. After that, whenever the King went to Seonnongdan the commoners sacrificed a cow and pig on the altar. After plowing the rice field they cooked a soup with the cow and steamed the pig. They then shared the food with old people aged 60 or above among the spectators. This is how seolleongtang became a local food of Seoul.


Samgyetang, Ginseng Chicken Soup

Eating highly nutritious food restores health and the mind and boosts physical stamina on hot summer days. Samgyetang is one of the most popular supplementary foods in summer. Especially on Chobok, Jungbok, and Malbok (days that mark the first, middle and last periods of the summer doldrums), people eat samgyetang to beat the summer heat. The recipe is like this. First, prepare a chicken that is about six months old and wash it clean. Stuff the chicken with garlic, which functions as a tonic, with chestnuts and dates, which are believed to protect the stomach, and with ginseng, ginkgo nuts and sticky rice. Then sew up the chicken's chest and place it in a stone pot and boil it. When the chicken is well done, it is served with salt and black pepper. As the ingredients show, many nutritious supplements are used in this Korean dish to improve one's physical constitution. From the Korean point of view, food and medicine are nearly the same.

 

Bibimbap

Bibimbap is assorted vegetables and various other ingredients on boiled rice: meat, diverse cooked and seasoned vegetables, and a sunny-side up egg, with red pepper paste sauce in a corner of the rice bowl. Mix everything together in the bowl and season with an amount of sauce to your taste. Today, many people prefer adding fresh vegetables to bibimbap, but traditionally only cooked food was used, except sometimes for strips of raw beef. It is said that bibimbap describes well a major characteristic of Korean dishes, the combination of a variety of ingredients, especially vegetables, to make a satisfying and nutritious meal.


Gujeolpan

In a luxurious table d'hote dinner, often gujeolpan comes as the first course. It is somewhat similar to a French hors d'oeuvre tray. Originally gujeolpan was the name of this nine-section wooden plate, but it later became the name of this dish. In the nine-section gujeolpan plate, there is the central section to place miljeonbyeong, or layers of thin wheat pancakes which look like tortillas but are much thinner and softer. Around the central section are eight surrounding sections to place eight different fillings. When you eat gujeolpan, what you do is wrap the eight fillings in the thin wheat pancakes. The eight fillings are usually beef, cucumbers, carrots, green bean sprouts, two kinds of mushrooms, and fried egg yolk and egg white. You may add vinegar soy sauce or mustard sauce in the miljeonbyeong wrap. Many find that gujeolpan has a beautiful look and refreshing taste. This dish is often served with alcoholic beverages.

 

Sinseollo

Sinseollo was one of the famous court dishes, but has become a common menu item. A pot with an attached burner is called sinseollo, similar to a casserole and the food placed inside the pot is called yeoljagutang, or guja, which both mean "soup that pleases the mouth." Sinseollo was long the indispensable dish at court banquets. The main ingredients include beef ribs, meat cakes made of chicken and pheasant, gray mullet, abalone, sea cucumber, green onions, scallion, radish roots, ginger, black pepper, dates, pine nuts, and egg white. Either soup-bone broth or clear beef broth is used. The colorful mix of various meats and vegetables represent the zenith of garnished cuisine.


Hanjeongsik

You can experience the taste of Korea in one meal if you try hanjeongsik, a set meal that includes rice and various side dishes. Those side dishes usually consist of two types of soup, 10 types of special side dishes, and five types of vegetables and fish. There are two basic types of hanjeongsik: gungjungsik, or court style cuisine and gajeongsik baekban, or down-home style cuisine.




 

Naengmyeon

Naengmyeon means simply "cold noodles." It is noodles served with cold beef broth. It was mainly eaten in the winter season because people believed that they could overcome heat by eating hot food in summer and cold by eating cold food in winter. But nowadays more people eat naengmyeon during the summer. The noodles are made from potato flour or buckwheat flour. Two kinds of naengmyeon are served in restaurants: mul-naengmyeon which is as described above, and bibim naengmyeon which is mixed with hot pepper paste sauce and vegetables without broth. Both naengmyeon dishes are served cold. It is not difficult at all to find places specializing in naengmyeon in Seoul and other cities.
  • Pyeongyang Naengmyeon
    Traditionally, Pyeongyang, the capital of North Korea, has been known as a city blessed with abundant crystal-clear water. The main ingredient for Pyeongyang naengmyeon noodle is wheat, so it is not hard to chew or digest. Pyeongyang naengmyeon is especially famous for its cool and sour taste plus refreshing aftertaste. Its secret is in the soup, which is a mixture of dongchimi kimchi water and a special broth boiled with soup bones, muscles, lungs, and intestines of cows. The fat is removed from the beef broth after boiling and seasoned with salt and soybean sauce. Then the dongchimi kimchi soup is poured in and the mixture is boiled again without being covered by a lid to get rid of the soybean sauce smell. After this process the Pyeongyang naengmyeon soup is clear and tasty.
  • Hamheung Naengmyeon
    Noodles of Hamheung naengmyeon is made of potato starch from Hamheung Province. This potato starch makes the noodles more glutinous and chewy than Pyeongyang-style noodles. Hamheung naengmyeon is served with sliced fresh raw fish seasoned with sour, spicy red pepper paste sauce, without any cool broth, which make it much spicier.

 

Sikhye
Sikhye refers both to a sort of sweet drink made with malt and to fermented fish with grain. The later will be a bit too pungently hot for some people but it certainly has a unique taste. Sometimes seasonings are added before or after the fish has been fermented. Walleye pollack sikhye and flatfish sikhye are the most popular.

Walleye pollack sikhye is a very famous dish among North Korean style fermented sikhye. Salted walleye pollack, radish, rice grains, red pepper powder, green onions, and garlic are put together in a jar and fermented for 3-4 days. Flatfish sikhye is made with flatfish caught in the East Sea. After salting the fish, cooked hulled mullet, radish, green onions, ginger, and red pepper powder are added for fermentation. As the sikhye ferments the sauce becomes more watery with a distinctive taste.