Gyeongju Seokjangdong Rock Carvings

About this place

The Gyeongju Seokjangdong petroglyphs are carved onto a north-facing cliff at Geumjangdae, where the Seocheon and Bukcheon streams meet across the Gyeongju plain. Presumed to date to prehistoric times, the carvings span a roughly 2 m wide by 9 m tall section of vertical cliff, about 15 m above the waterline. They are abstract and geometric in character. A total of 27 motifs have been identified: 8 geometric patterns, 11 sword-and-spear composite images, 4 footprints, 3 female genitalia, 1 boat, and other animal shapes and indeterminate designs. While each varies slightly in form, the basic categories are shield shapes, acorn shapes, and flower shapes—the last two being unique to this site among Korean petroglyphs. Discovered in March 1994 by an archaeological survey team from Dongguk University, they are estimated to date to the middle or late Bronze Age based on production techniques.