Current Status and Significance of the Celadons Excavated from Each Ruin of the Western Architectural Complex of the Koryŏ Palace

This study examines approximately 1,182 stoneware pieces and 152 earthenware pieces excavated from the western architectural complex of the Koryŏ royal palace, focusing primarily on around 1,048 pieces of Koryŏ celadon from Building Sites No.1 to No.9. By analyzing the celadon from each ruin within the nine-building site complex, this study emphasizes the spatial context to identify the primary usage areas and the flow of these ceramic vessels.As the first data set demonstrating the use of ceramics in the Koryŏ royal palace, which was the largest consumer of royal ceramics during the Koryŏ period, these findings are of significant importance. Adopting a micro-level approach focused on ‘ruins,’ this study categorizes the excavated artifacts according to their respective archaeological features and examines the relationships between these spatial units.Due to the diverse characteristics of the nine architectural complexes, the analysis identifies the primary areas, ranges, and movement paths of ceramic vessels within each ruin. Notably, unique characteristics of celadon excavated from ruins no. 4–7 and no. 6–4 suggest that the selection of royal-use celadon might have occurred within the palace. Furthermore, evidence from Building Sites No. 7 indicates that celadon modeled after Northern Song royal Ru ware was used in the Koryŏ royal court during the early 12th century, suggesting that this was a high-ranking space where the king resided.Lastly, an examination of the distribution of Koryŏ celadons within each ruin of these building site complexes suggests temporal patterns in the use of the architectural complexes. The eastern building site of the Northwestern Architectural complex and Building sites No. 1, 4, 5, and 6 on the Western Architectural complex appear to have been used until the early 13th century but likely fell out of use following the Koryŏ court’s return to Kaegyŏng in 1270. In contrast, the western building site of the Northwestern Architectural complex and Building sites no. 2, 3, 7, and 8 on the Western Architectural complex were likely in use even after the court’s return in 1270.