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Directory: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Korean: Prehistorical: Item # 1475365

Please refer to our stock # 1496 when inquiring.

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Korean Art and Antiques
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Prehistoric Korean Stone Sword 1500 - 1000 BCE. A similar example is in the catalogue of the Musee Guimet's Korean art collection. The Musee Guimet catalogue states these stone swords have "a particularly pure aesthetic whose modernity cannot fail to enchant today's viewers". The last photo here is from a petroglyph at a prehistoric burial site (Orim-dong megalithic burial no. 5 in Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do), depicting a similar weapon. Further References: Bale, Martin T.; Ko, Min-jung (2006), Craft Production and Social Change in Mumun Period Korea. Asian Perspectives 45 (2): 159-187. Park Je Gwang (2006), History of Steel in Eastern Asia. History of Korea through the Fall of Goguryeo, pages 9 - 10. Chosen Soukantoku Kanbo Soumukyoku Insatsu Jo (1912), Riou-ke Hakubutsu-kan Chozou-hin Shashin-chou Ge, (Prince Yi Household Museum Collection Picture Book Volume 2). This sword is similar to the sword that is from the famous collection of Gukeun Lee Yang-sun that is now in the permanent collection of the Gyeongju National Museum and can be seen on page 82 of the museum catalog. These publications date this type of sword to 1500 - 1000 BCE. Another useful book on this subject is the 2002 publication, Collection of Korea Army Museum, that gives examples of the differences between Bronze Age and Iron Age Korean weapons. They are quite a bit different, and this is clearly a Bronze Age Korean sword. There are also numerous examples of early Korean weapons in the article on the subject by John Boots in the December 1934 Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. 10 inches (25.5 cm) x 2.5 inches (6.5 cm). The handle has a glued repair, but the piece is entirely original.