An agricultural revolution in prehistoric Korea
The Songguk-ri archaeological site presents a clear picture of a major shift in agriculture on the Korean Peninsula during the Bronze Age. Excavations have uncovered large quantities of carbonized rice, specifically short-grained Japonica rice, providing direct evidence of intensive wet-rice cultivation. Radiocarbon dating of materials found alongside the grains, such as charred wood, places these farming activities between 870 and 585 BCE. At one location within the site, Structure 54-1, excavators recovered approximately 400 grams of these ancient rice grains from the floor of a rectangular dwelling.
This discovery is significant because rice was not the first crop cultivated in the region; grains like millet and barnyard millet appeared earlier. The appearance of rice, and the infrastructure for farming it, indicates a move toward more complex and organized agricultural society. While direct evidence of rice paddies has not been found at the Songguk-ri settlement itself, irrigated paddy systems from the same period have been discovered just 25 kilometers away, showing the technological capability for wet-rice farming was present in the area. The society that developed this agricultural system is now referred to as the "Songguk-ri Culture" and is considered an important Bronze Age cultural type in Korea.
A settlement built on grain
The Songguk-ri settlement was one of the largest of its time, covering an area of over 535,000 square meters on a terrace between plains and a river. The community contained more than 100 dwellings, which were primarily circular, semi-subterranean pit-houses. These characteristic "Songguk-ri style" dwellings were dug 30 to 150 cm into the ground and featured a central oval pit surrounded by smaller postholes, though signs of internal hearths are absent.
The agricultural toolkit of the Songguk-ri people included stone implements such as semi-lunar knives for harvesting grain, stone daggers, and arrowheads. Along with rice, evidence suggests the cultivation of foxtail millet, barley, wheat, and soybeans, indicating a diverse agricultural strategy. The pottery found here is also distinctive, with flat-bottomed, egg-shaped vessels that have an outward-turned rim, a style now named after the site. The presence of a bronze axe mold, similar to those from the Liaodong region of China, alongside the rice, supports the idea of cultural and technological exchange over sea routes. This evidence collectively points to a well-established, organized farming community that laid the agricultural foundations for subsequent Korean kingdoms.