Why Bear Bones Were Found in the Moat of Silla Royal Palace...

Joint Research on Ancient Animals at the National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute
National Park Wildlife Conservation Center Joins... Establishing an Academic Foundation

A joint research project analyzing ancient animal remains, including bear bones discovered in the moat of the Gyeongju Wolseong site, is set to begin. The National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute and the National Park Wildlife Conservation Center announced on the 3rd that they have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly investigate and study ancient animal bones excavated from Wolseong.

Officials from the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and the National Park Wildlife Conservation Center examining bear bones excavated from the moat of Wolseong, Gyeongju.

The moat refers to a water trench or pond dug around a fortress to prevent enemy invasion. The existence of the moat at Wolseong, the royal fortress of Silla, was first revealed during a trial excavation in 1984. Subsequent multiple excavations uncovered bones of pigs, cattle, horses, dogs, deer, bears, and other animals.

Kim Heon-seok, a curator at the National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute, previously analyzed the bear bones, suggesting that they might be artifacts discarded after the Silla people dismantled bears in workshops around Wolseong to obtain their hides. In a paper published in 2020 in the academic journal 'Jungang Archaeological Research' by the Central Cultural Heritage Research Institute, he introduced the results of analyzing the bear bones and argued that "the Wolseong bear is likely to be a Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus)."

Based on their previous research achievements, the two institutions will first conduct joint research on the bear bones. They plan to share various ancient animal specimens and samples of currently living animals, establishing an academic foundation for the investigation and study of ancient animals. A representative from the research institute stated, "This will serve as an opportunity to activate diverse research, including revealing the presence of the endangered natural monument, the Asiatic black bear, on the Korean Peninsula."

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