A 1500-year-old wooden plow used by ancient farmers in Seoul has been restored to its original condition by the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.
The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage has successfully restored a wooden plow from the Three Kingdoms period, which was discovered in June 2023 at the Mongchontoseong reservoir in Seoul. The plow, used by ancestors for farming about 1500 years ago, had suffered structural damage after being buried for centuries but has now regained its original appearance.
The restoration process involved urgent preservation techniques, where the plow was frozen at approximately -40 degrees Celsius to stabilize its structure, followed by vacuum drying to remove moisture. This careful treatment aimed to retain the integrity of the artifact, which is made of solid oak and was crafted using traditional woodworking tools, highlighting the advanced techniques used by ancient craftspeople.
Dating back to the period when Goguryeo forces temporarily occupied Mongchontoseong between 534 and 640, the restored plow will be returned to the Hanseong Baekje Museum in Seoul for exhibition and research purposes. This significant discovery sheds light on agricultural practices and cultural heritage from the Three Kingdoms era in Korea, enhancing our understanding of historical farming technologies.
