The Form and Significance of Pressed-Pattern Pottery in the Wooden Chamber Tombs of Early Silla in the Yeongnam Region

This study reexamined the existing interpretations of the form of pressed-pattern pottery (duck-shaped pottery) found as burial goods in wooden chamber tombs of early Silla in the Yeongnam region, offering a new interpretation and focusing on its significance as a burial item. The results indicate that while the duck is predominant in the forms of pressed-pattern pottery, a comparison with the morphological characteristics of existing bird species suggests the inclusion of pheasants and geese. Additionally, considering the previously identified Eurasian eagle-owl, the presence of multiple bird species is recognized. Therefore, unlike previous interpretations that emphasized only ducks, the possibility of pheasants, geese, and Eurasian eagle-owls is also considered. To understand the significance of these bird-shaped pottery items as burial goods, this study also examined related materials from coffin burials and mound tombs. Notably, similarities can be observed between the bird-shaped pottery found in wooden chamber tombs and the bird burial practices of the Imdang-dong and Joyeong-dong tomb clusters in Gyeongsan. Eventually, the burial materials related to birds show a transition from the stage of bird feathers attached to fan handles in the coffin burial to the stage of bird-shaped pottery in the wooden chamber tombs, and finally to the stage of direct inclusion of bird remains in the mound tombs. Ducks, pheasants, and geese are consistently found from wooden chamber tombs to mound tombs, and the mutilation practices observed in wooden chamber tombs— such as cutting the heads and feet—persist into the mound tomb stage. These findings suggest that the traditional culture of bird burial was shared to a certain extent.