East Asia's oldest remains of agricultural field found in Korea

Archaeological traces presumed to be East Asia's oldest remains of an agricultural field have been found on South Korea's east coast, a national research institute said Tuesday.

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage said it has discovered the traces dating from the Neolithic period after two years of archaeological survey on a historic site in Goseong, 466 kilometers east of Seoul.

No remains of an agricultural field from the Neolithic period have been found in any East Asian country before, the institute said, adding that the discovery reveals that the history of agricultural cultivation at least began during the period on the Korean Peninsula.

Also found along with the remains were pieces of pottery and stone arrowheads, both of which appear to have been made during the Middle Neolithic period (3,600-3,000 B.C), and traces of a house from the same period, it added.

Archaeologists have presumed based on farming-related stone tools and carbonized grain found in other remains from the Neolithic period that agricultural fields may have existed on the peninsula during that time. But no traces supporting the presumption have been found before, the institute said.

The oldest remains of farming fields ever found on the peninsula date back to the Bronze Age, according to the institute.

The institute said it will use Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) as well as Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) to more precisely date the remains. (Yonhap) koreatimes.co.kr

Actualización 27-06-12. Hallan vestigios de la agricultura más antigua en Asia Oriental.
La agencia arqueológica de Corea del Sur dijo haber hallado vestigios del más antiguo sembradío del Asia Oriental.

La arqueóloga Cho Mi-soon indicó el miércoles que la agencia halló los restos de una finca agrícola del período neolítico en la costa oriental de la nación que podría datar de hace 5.600 años. Eso es más de 2.000 años antes que terreno agrícola más antiguo conocido hasta ahora, también en Corea del Sur.

Durante el neolítico, los seres humanos empezaron a vivir en asentamientos permanentes y se dedicaron a la agricultura después de un período de existencia nómade en el que vivían de la caza y la recolección de frutos.

Cho indicó que los restos de alfarería y de una vivienda hallados en el lugar permitieron calcular su edad. Agregó que las pruebas determinaron que databan del neolítico. noticias.terra.com.co/