Korea's 7,000-year-old petroglyphs gain UNESCO World Heritage status

The 7,000-year-old prehistoric petroglyphs carved into rocks at the southeastern tip of Korea have been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, recognized for their vivid depictions of marine life and what is believed to be the world’s oldest portrayal of whale hunting. The decision to inscribe the Neolithic rock carvings, found along Ulsan’s Bangucheon Stream, was made Saturday (local time) during the 47th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in Paris. The newly listed site encompasses the petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace and nearby Cheonjeon-ri, both of which are state-designated national treasures. First discovered in 1971, the Bangudae engravings are etched into the lower portion of a cliff in the upper reaches of Bangucheon Stream. Spanning 3 meters in height and 10 meters across, the rock face holds 312 distinct imprints: humans, land and sea animals, ships and tools — each one an image of ancient life along the Korean coast. Among the sea creatures portrayed, whales appear most frequently. Rendered with striking finesse, they have made the site famous as the worldWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times