The Bangudae, or Daegok-ri, Petroglyphs are prehistoric engravings on flat vertical rock faces beside the Daegokcheon stream, a branch of the Taehwa River near Ulsan, South Korea. Designated National Treasure of South Korea No. 285 and added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025, the site presents a portrayal of whaling unmatched by any other rock art known worldwide. The carvings, spanning roughly from 5000 BC to the ninth century AD, feature animals, human figures, hunting scenes, concentric circles, diamond patterns and inscriptions rendered with enough detail that individual species of marine and terrestrial creatures can be identified. The main rock face is around eight meters wide and five meters high, with ten surrounding rock faces carrying a smaller number of additional engravings. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
LocationDaegokcheon stream (a branch of the Taehwa River), near Ulsan, South Korea 1 Primary MaterialSandstone, siltstone and shale 1 UNESCO Inscription Year Current UseProtected as National Treasure of South Korea No. 285 1 Visitor AccessSite is submerged for about eight months of the year due to dam related flooding, limiting direct access 1 In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Bangudae Petroglyphs (Wikipedia)
Lead section, first sentence
The Bangudae (Daegok-ri) Petroglyphs are pre-historic engravings on flat vertical rock faces on the riverside of the Daegokcheon (Bangucheon) stream, a branch of the Taehwa River, which runs eastward and joins the East Sea at Ulsan.
Geography section
Major bedrock in the middle stream of Daegok-cheon is a sedimentary rock called the Daegu Formation, which is composed of greenish gray or dark gray sandstone, siltstone, shale, and purple siltstone.
Heritage status section
were registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025.
Lead section, second sentence
They are the National Treasure of South Korea No. 285
Preservation section
has caused the rocks on which the petroglyphs are carved to be flooded for about eight months of every year.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.