Cheoljeong (철정, 鐵鼎), found in the waters of Mado Island, Taean-gun County, Chungcheongnam-do Province, is an iron pot with legs used in Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).
The exhibition “Iron Pots, the Chef Onboard (솥, 선상(船上)의 셰프)” which presents an array of iron pots used by sailors from different time periods, from Unified Silla (668-935) to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), began on Dec. 20 at the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage (NRIMCH), located in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do Province.
Starting with the excavation of Sinan underwater site in 1975, NRIMCH has carried out 23 seabed excavation projects in the regions that range from Ongjin-gun County, Incheon of the West Sea to Jeju Island, located in the South Sea. Relics found under water were from diverse eras, from the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.-A.D. 935) to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Among those uncovered, iron pots, which portray the food culture of Korea, have been gathered for the exhibition.
Cheolbu (철부, 鐵釜), the legless iron pot, was found in the Mado Shipwreck no.2 of Goryeo Dynasty.
A total 35 iron pots were found as a result of the underwater excavation. In this exhibition, a piece from a pot from Unified Silla, six from Goryeo and two from the Joseon Dynasty are on display. There are two types of pots, Cheoljeong (철정, 鐵鼎), pot with legs and Cheolbu (철부, 鐵釜), pots without legs.
“The pots from Unified Silla are cylindrical in shape, and are deep, but the ones from later periods are shallower and broader,” said an official from the NRIMCH. “The legs attached to the pots from Unified Silla were curved but in the Joseon Period, the legs are straight,” he added.
The exhibition will continue until Jan. 22, 2017.
By Kim Young Shin
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage
ysk1111@korea.kr
