Reexamination on the Chronology of Late Neolithic Pottery in the Southern Region

This study reexamines the chronology of Late Neolithic pottery based on artifacts excavated from the Jinju Pyeonggeodong site and, on that basis, proposes a three-phase chronological framework for Late Neolithic pottery across the southern region of Korea. The Late Neolithic pottery from the Pyeonggeodong site is classified into three pottery groups according to decorative patterns and vessel forms, and the relative sequence of these groups is consistent with radiocarbon dating (C-14) results. These findings were compared with major sites located west and east of the Nakdong River to establish parallel relationships. In the western Nakdong River region, pottery can be divided into three phases based on changes in decoration and rim shape: Phase 1 retains elements of the Middle Neolithic, such as rhomboid incised patterns and upright rims; Phase 2 is characterized by an increase in impressed and stamped patterns and the emergence of outwardly contracted rims, marking the full development of Late Neolithic traits; and Phase 3 shows a decline in the standardization of decorative motifs and a reduction in rim curvature. The eastern Nakdong River region is divided into two phases due to the smaller number of sites and artifacts: in the earlier phase, some incised patterns remain, while in the later phase, combed and long incised lines appear and undecorated pottery becomes more common. Radiocarbon dating results from Late Neolithic sites suggest that the beginning of the Late Neolithic period can be pushed back to around 3000 BCE. Double-rimmed pottery, previously thought to have emerged in the final phase of the Late Neolithic, is shown to share decorative patterns and techniques with contemporary pottery and to evolve alongside it. Therefore, the emergence of double-rimmed pottery should be reinterpreted as having appeared in the earliest phase of the Late Neolithic, rather than being confined to its final stage.