Sororl Rice Seed Historic Site

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Basic Information

Sororl Rice Seed Historic Site

Cheongwon Soro-ri Paleolithic Historic Site is located at 156-1 (field), Soro-ri, Oksan-myeon, Cheongwon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. To the north of the relics is Mokryeongsan Mountain (228.7m), which is a part of the Charyeong Mountain Range, and to the west of the relics is Guksabong Peak (171.0m). Three ridgelines run southeast, forming a wide field. A relatively steep terrain is located near the eastward Ochang-myeon. Mihocheon Stream, a major branch of Geumgang River, gently snakes about 900 meters south of the relics. The low and flat field of Cheongju Basin develops widely along the course of Miho Stream as the broadest breadbasket in Chungcheongbuk-do.

Section of a peat deposit from which rice seeds came out
Sand layer on upper peat deposit
Sand layer on upper peat deposit

Section of alder of the
genus Alnus (X 40)
Section of elm of the
genus Ulmus (X40)

A tree discovered in a peat deposit in the Soro-ri Paleolithic Historic Site was identified as a spruce (Piceajezoensis) of the genus Picea in the family Pinaceae. This finding indicates that the peat deposit was formed before the Holocene Epoch and is useful in understanding the natural environment in the second half of the Ice Age, such as the climate and vegetation.

In 1994, at the request of Korea Land Corporation, the Chungbuk National University Museum carried out a surface survey on the culture and relics of the scheduled construction site for Ochang Science Industrial Complex, which was to become the focal project of Chungcheongbuk-do. The relics were found during the survey.
During the survey, Paleolithic relics such as chopping tools, scrapers, grooving tools, cores, and flakes were collected in a wide scope. A prospecting survey plan was mapped out after receiving confirmation that the fourth-term layer was relatively strong. A prospecting survey (from December 1996 to January 1997) to find the spread of the relics and an occupation layer confirmed the existence of a Paleolithic occupation layer as well as a well-developed and thick peat deposit. The first excavation survey (from November 1997 to April 1998 was conducted with regard to the Paleolithic occupation layer and the peat deposit. Four organizations took part in the survey. They were Chungbuk National University (Occupation Layer Ⅰ-Ⅱ in Paleolithic District A), Dankook University (Paleolithic District B), University of Seoul (Paleolithic District C), and the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (fourth-term geology). The Chungbuk National University Museum took the initiative in organizing a survey team headed up by Lee Yong Jo, who was the director of the museum at that time.

Excavated Relics

Bolar Stone
A bolar stone is a stone implement which was cut into a ball. It is as big as a fist.
A throwing weapon made of two or three stones on the ends of interconnected cords or animal sinew is thrown to hunt animals. This stone tool uses centrifugal and centripetal force and can be thrown far away.
Flake
A flake is a piece from a core that does not undergo small touches and does not have any traces of use. It is dented from when it was taken off from the core. The sides of the flake have protuberances, marks under the protuberances, wave patterns, and radiation.
Scraper
Scrapers are formed by chipping the end of a flake of stone or a stone blade. The lengths of their blades are longer than their widths. They are classified as concave, convex, straight, etc. depending on the shape of their blades. They are usually used to peel leather and bark as well as to cut wood and bones.
Burin
A burin is made by narrowing and sharpening the tip of a stone. This tool is used to carve drawings onto bones or break bones to make tools. This is also used to hollow out a groove and to smooth, cut, or peel tough surfaces.
End-Scraper
End-scrapers are typically formed by chipping the end of a stone blade or a flake of stone in order to create one sharp side. Generally, their edges are fan-shaped and round with lengths that are longer than their widths. The tools are used in cutting bones and woods by pushing outwards from the inside.
Plane
A plane is a big stone tool that is gripped with the fist and used. Most planes have horizontal edges. This tool is used to trim wood or peel leather. It is bigger, heavier, and thicker than an end-scraper. The angle of the edge is rather steep (between 60˚and 90˚).
Grooving Stone Tool
Grooving stone tools are stone implements made by chipping flakes or stone blades. They are characterized by their kind of concave edges and their narrow widths. They are used to cut or peel trees, bones, and horns. The edges are usually single.
Awl
This is a stone implement used to make holes in bones, horns, leathers, and trees. It has an edge, and its handle is wider than its edge part. When a handle is narrow, a hilt is sometimes attached.
Denticulate
A denticulate is a stone tool that is created by chipping the edge of a flake, stone blade, or a core in regular intervals to create the toothed edge of a saw. It is used to cut wood, bones, and horns.