Bangudae Petroglyphs
Bangudae Rock Art · Daegok Bangudae · Ulsan Bangudae Petroglyphs · Daegokcheon Petroglyphs
Neolithic 6000–1000 BCE → Bronze Age overlay·Korean Neolithic maritime hunters (Ulsan Daegok)·🇰🇷 Ulsan Metropolitan City, Ulju County, Daegok-ri, Daegok-cheon stream 2 km north of Cheonjeon-ri, 20 km west of Ulsan, South Korea
About
About Bangudae Petroglyphs
Bangudae — Korean Neolithic whaling petroglyph rock art (c.6000–1000 BCE) 20 km west Ulsan, Ulju County, Daegok-cheon vertical cliff 4×5 m, discovered 1971 Mun Myeong-dae. Bangudae cliff has 300+ engravings: 5-m whale, dolphins, turtles, boar, deer with hunting nets and boats — earliest whaling evidence in East Asia (Neolithic). Palimpsest with Bronze Age and Silla layers but dominantly Neolithic hunting–fishing. Companion Cheonjeon 1.2 km downstream, together National Treasure 285. Illustrates Korean Neolithic maritime hunting with harpoons and nets. Threatened by Sayon Dam water level fluctuation.
Why it mattersEarliest whaling petroglyph in East Asia — 300+ maritime hunting engravings with Neolithic boat and harpoon
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whale species — right whale or humpback?
Theories
- 01Bangudae as whaling magic sanctuary per Lee
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.6000–1000 BCE Neolithic; whale engraving c.4000 BCE core
- Period
- Neolithic 6000–1000 BCE → Bronze Age overlay
- Culture
- Korean Neolithic maritime hunters (Ulsan Daegok)
- Builders
- Neolithic Ulsan hunters–fishers
- Purpose
- Whaling and hunting ritual cliff sanctuary documenting East Asia's earliest whale hunting
- Excavation
- Excavated
c.6000 BCE
Early Neolithic hunting engravings begin
c.4000 BCE
Mature whale, dolphin, turtle with boats
1971
Mun Myeong-dae discovery; 1995 National Treasure 285
On the ground
Structures & features
35.6030° N · 129.1450° E · 55 m · 2 mapped features
Whale and Dolphin Hunting Cliff
rock artCentral 5-m whale with dolphins, turtles, and harpoon boats at cliff centre
35.6040° N · 129.1442° ETerrestrial Hunting Panel with Boar and Deer
rock artLower panel boar, deer, and hunting net scene at cliff base
35.6015° N · 129.1461° E
Gallery