DISCOVERY OF LARGEST KILN SITE TO DATE

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Historians have discovered in Changnyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do Province the largest and most complex kiln site to date. Presumed to have been built in the fourth or fifth century during the Gaya period, the extensive earthenware kiln site was revealed almost intact.

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An excavation site of Gaya relics at a mountain in Changnyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do Province. Researchers unearth a large underground tunnel, measuring 15 meters in length, 2.3 meters in width and depth. It is a kiln site where Gaya people made earthenware some 1,500 years ago. This is the largest of its kind from the Gaya period discovered to date. It is estimated to date back to the 4th or 5th century. The site was found intact with a kiln and such intricate architectural features as a pit where clay was collected, a waste dump, and a trench, presumably used as a drain. The kiln site was apparently very old, judging by the traces of more than ten repairs done on the ceiling that's up to 1.3 meters thick in some parts.

[Soundbite] KIM JEONG-HO(FOUNDATION OF EAST ASIAN CULTURAL PROPERTIES INSTITUTE) : "The ceiling is exceptionally thick, more so than any other discoveries in Korea. It's an archaeological feature proving the kiln was repaired continuously."

Six Gaya kiln sites of assorted sizes were discovered within the 3-kilometer radius of this location. Researchers believe a large group of artisans who manufactured earthenware resided in the area.

[Soundbite] PROF. LEE YOUNG-SIK(INJE UNIVERSITY) : "A continuous production of earthenware points to the existence of a group of artists and manufacturers in this area."

The county government of Changnyeong plans to designate the kiln site discovered recently and other major Gaya historical sites as valuable cultural properties. Archaeologists stress the need to study the possibility of Gaya earthenware being sold in Silla as well as in Japan.