A History of Korean Science and Technology

Introduction

Introduction 1 Introduction Shining a New Light on Korean Science and Technology K orea is a nation with a 5,000-year history. Due to its location on the periphery of the East Asian cultural belt, Korea had been heavily influenced by Chinese civilizations since ancient times. Nevertheless, Korea has constructed its own unique cultural traditions, independent of those of China. As a cultured people, Koreans established their own original scientific and technological traditions. When viewed from the proud current of traditional Chinese technology , the history of Korean science may be regarded as merely one estuary in the history of Chinese science. In almost every instance, however, Chinese science and technology took a different turn in Korean hands. Koreans developed their own technologies, which they endeavored to adapt to the natural elements, seasons and climate indigenous to the Korean peninsula. Always enterprising when it came to the reception of advanced Chinese technology, Koreans were able to modify this technology to what best suited them and harmonize it with their natural environment. Korea boasts a Paleolithic culture dating back 500,000 years. The tools used by these Paleolithic people are specific to the Korean peninsula and seldom found in other parts of Northeast Asia. Korea’s Neolithic Age began in about 6000 BCE. Korea’s Neolithic people were of northern lineage and a different race from that of the Neolithic Chinese. Unlike the Paleolithic line, which was eventually severed, these Neolithic people continued to live on the peninsula and came to form an older Korean race. It seems that, through a long process, the Neolithic people amalgamated with new peoples during the Bronze Age, forming what we now call ‘the Korean people’. Technology of the Bronze Age The Korean Bronze Age, which began around 1000 BCE, was rooted in a different, comparatively advanced technology that was established by a northern civilization Intro (1-42) 1 Intro (1-42) 1 9/20/11 11:17:22 AM 9/20/11 11:17:22 AM 2 A History of Korean Science and Technology distinct from Chinese scientific civilization. It was upon the foundation of this extant tradition of indigenous skills that Chinese science and technology were based. Thus Koreans have always striven to adapt and improve on things Chinese. A bronze sword and a bronze mirror are two exemplary outcomes of this effort. A preponderance of bronze products, such as a lute-shaped bronze dagger (琵琶形靑銅劍), a Korean-style bronze dagger, a wide-lined bronze mirror with two small handles and a fine-lined bronze mirror, were found on the Korean peninsula. These bronze products are very rarely unearthed in China and are thought to have represented the power of the rulers during the Bronze Age or to have been used as ceremonial utensils during religious ceremonies. These bronze products were taken to Japan together with bronze bells and treated as ‘divine’ utensils (singi 神器), enjoying the status of religious symbols. The unique design and advanced casting technology speak of Korea’s high standard of bronze technology at that time. The geometrical design and refined casting skills seen in a fine-lined bronze mirror dating from the 4th century BCE, now at the Soongsil University Museum, are striking examples. There are as many as 13,000 thin lines on the surface of this 21 cm-diameter bronze mirror, separated by a space of only 0.3 mm. The lines of the concentric circles were used as an exact measure for the divisions, from which rectangles, squares and triangles were drafted. It should be noted that a compass was used to construct these numerous lines. Various bronze mirrors of this type have been found in Korea but not in any other region, with the exception of Japan. Two other unique artifacts of the Korean Bronze Age are a lute-shaped bronze sword and a latter period Korean-style bronze dagger. The distinctly refined design and casting technology of these swords outshine those of similar bronze artifacts from other regions. These 4th -century BCE, Korean-style bronze daggers were produced in volume using stone molds. Identical bronze daggers have been found buried in stacks among artifacts excavated in Japan. These Koreanstyle bronze daggers were used ceremonially and in the slaughter of animals. The origin of Korean bronze technology clearly differs from that of China. The components of Korean bronze artifacts attest to this fact. Very early Korean bronze artifacts are an alloy of zinc and bronze. Koreans developed a technique of mixing zinc with copper, tin and...