By Lee Hyo-won
Staff reporter
New archeological research suggests that the cotton culture here may have begun 800 years earlier than previously thought. It had been widely accepted that cotton was introduced in the Korean Peninsula in the late 14th century when a diplomat brought home cotton flower seeds from China.
The Buyeo National Museum, while examining items for an exhibition, recently discovered that one of the artifacts from a 1999 excavation of a temple site in Neungsan-ri, Buyeo, was made of cotton, a local daily reported Thursday.
Measuring 12 by 2 centimeters, the item was unearthed along with various treasures from the 6th-century Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C.-660 A.D.). This implies that the introduction or plantation of cotton took place in Korea some 800 years earlier than previously thought, when Mun Ik-jeom (1329-98) brought cotton flower seeds here around 1363.
The museum was quoted as saying that the material is indeed cotton, citing research by museum researchers and members of the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage's research team. Results yielded from using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM) showed clear signs of cotton texture, they said. Moreover, the fabric was spun from cotton flowers in a unique way. The item is currently on display at the Buyeo National Museum's ongoing exhibition "Buyeo Dreaming of Revival - Neungsan-ri Temple Site."
The oldest piece of cotton excavated in Korea dates back to the late Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) ― as the lining of a pair of black leather rain boots found inside a 14th-century grave.
Recent findings show that the newly discovered cotton was weaved in a distinct way, one which has not been reported in ancient Chinese practices. The research will be officially presented at an academic symposium at the museum in October.