High-Quality Craftsmanship and Sophisticated Beauty... Gaya Necklace Becomes a Treasure

Pre-announcement of Treasure Designation for Necklace Excavated from Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tomb No. 76
"Outstanding for Crystal Processing Techniques and Harmonious Variety of Colors and Textures"

Necklace Excavated from Daeseong-dong No. 76 Tomb in Gimhae

Three Gaya necklaces crafted with precise metalworking techniques are designated as treasures. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 7th that the 'Necklace excavated from Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tomb No. 76,' the 'Crystal Necklace excavated from Gimhae Yangdong-ri Tomb No. 270,' and the 'Necklace excavated from Gimhae Yangdong-ri Tomb No. 322' will each be preliminarily designated as treasures. Opinions from various sectors will be collected over a month, and the final designation will be confirmed after review by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee. An official explained, "These artifacts demonstrate that Gaya, known only as the 'Kingdom of Iron,' also had excellent glass product processing capabilities," adding, "Due to clear excavation contexts, good preservation states, and complete forms, they hold great historical, academic, and artistic value."

The Gaya people wore necklaces made by carving crystal or agate (瑪瑙) into abacus bead shapes or making glass curved beads. They produced items from gold, silver, glass, gold-leafed glass, crystal, amber, and jade in forms such as panok (flat-processed jade products), gokok (jade products shaped like an enlarged comma), daerongok (long tube-shaped jade products), and damyeonok (jade products with multiple facets). The 'Necklace excavated from Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tomb No. 76' consists of three strands of different lengths strung with ten crystal beads, seventy-seven agate beads, and 2,386 various glass beads. Transparent crystals with an average diameter of 6?7 mm, orange agate, and blue glass were harmoniously arranged in gokok and multifaceted shapes. The surface was smoothly polished, achieving sculptural completeness.

Crystal Necklace Excavated from Tomb No. 270 in Yangdong-ri, Gimhae

The Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tumuli Cluster (Historic Site No. 341), where the necklace was found, is a communal cemetery for the ruling class of Geumgwan Gaya from the 3rd to 5th centuries. Geumgwan Gaya was a power centered around Gimhae in Gyeongnam and the lower Nakdong River region from around the beginning of the Common Era until 532 AD. It reigned as the hegemonic state in Gaya and was called Daegaya (大加耶) or Bonga Gaya (本加耶). The Gimhae Yangdong-ri Tumuli Cluster (Historic Site No. 454), where many pottery and iron artifacts of theirs were excavated, also yielded the 'Crystal Necklace excavated from Gimhae Yangdong-ri Tomb No. 270.' This precious metal necklace is strung on a 142.6 cm cord with twenty multifaceted crystal beads, 120 panok beads, and six gokok beads. The surfaces of crystals of different shapes and sizes were smoothly polished and arranged harmoniously. Recent academic research has identified that the crystal was produced in areas such as Yangsan in Gyeongnam. An official stated, "This is a very rare case composed of over 100 crystal pieces," adding, "It demonstrates a level of technology and refined aesthetic sense comparable to today’s standards."

Necklace Excavated from Tomb No. 322 in Yangdong-ri, Gimhae

The 'Necklace excavated from Gimhae Yangdong-ri Tomb No. 322,' unearthed alongside a Han Dynasty (漢代) bronze tripod cauldron (bronze ding), consists of 147 crystal gokok beads, two large multifaceted crystal beads, six agate ring beads, 418 blue glass ring beads, and one glass gokok bead. The hard crystal with a hardness of 7 was processed into multifaceted shapes or delicately polished into numerous gokok forms. An official explained, "Jewelry popular in Gaya involved carving crystal or agate into abacus bead shapes or making necklaces with glass curved or round beads," adding, "In the case of the 'Necklace excavated from Gimhae Yangdong-ri Tomb No. 322,' transparent crystals were polished into hexagonal shapes, complemented by red agate and blue glass beads to create a radiant shine." They said, "The refined crystal processing techniques and the harmony of diverse colors and textures stand out," and "It is an exemplary piece of jewelry representing the ruling class culture of Geumgwan Gaya."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.