Goguryeo remnants found in east Russia

Remnants that are believed to be from Korea`s ancient Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BC-668) have been discovered for the first time in the far eastern part of Russia, from the excavation site of Kraskino fortress near the Posiet Bay close to Tumen River.

While records in various old documents show that some parts of Russia`s far eastern region including the Primorsky Territory had been under Goguryeo rule, there has never been an archeological discovery proving it.



The 20-day excavation was conducted jointly by the Northeast Asian History Foundation and Pukyong National University of Korea with the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The relics include earthenware steamer, fragments of ceramic ware, belts, farming utensils, tiled kiln and others from a total of five sites, two of which looked to have been residential areas and three could have been market places.

In particular, the discovery of a cooking fireplace and earthenware steamer two meters underground shows a high possibility that the area was inhabited by the people of Balhae (698-926) or Goguryeo, the excavators said.

Also, this 1.2 kilometer-long fortress uses the same construction technique -- stones setting the foundation to be covered with earth -- the same method used by the Goguryeo Kingdom or even the earlier times of Balhae.

"This is the first time (for us) to dig this deep and it is incredibly valuable to have found the residential sites as well as these remnants," professor Kang In-wook of Pukyong National University, who led the excavation, was quoted as telling Yonhap News.

Further excavations could yield an even "better outcome," he added.

(angiely@heraldm.com)



By Lee Joo-hee