The present writer had the opportunity to study roof tiles found at the Kaet'ae-sa temple in Nonsan-gun, Korea, which have been kept in the Chung Nam University Museum. The purpose of this article is to describe the manufacturing techniques and dates of the tiles, and to discuss the date of the reconstruction of Kaet'ae-sa temple, based on an examination of these materials.
The specimens dealt with are limited to flat roof tiles with inscriptions stamped on the convex surface. Some of the tiles are stamped with dates, thus providing the date of manufacture. Characteristics related to manufacturing techniques, such as aspects of the color, clay, firing, and designs stamped on the surface, are discussed first. Similar observations are then made for date-bearing tiles found at other archaeological sites from the Koryo period.
Based on these observations, stamped roof tiles from Kaet'ae-sa temple are classified into types A through D. This classification is then expanded to include tiles from sites other than Kaet'ae-sa temple, which are found to divide into types A, E, and F. At the same time, it is clearly shown that techniques of manufacture are the same for tiles bearing dates from the same period, even when they are found at different sites. It is further pointed out that the method of writing inscriptions, reading vertically in lines which begin at the left and go to the right, can be used as an indication of the age of the tile. In this manner, the dates of all stamped tiles from Kaet'ae-sa temple are discussed.
Finally, based on the dates of stamped roof tiles from Kaet'ae-sa temple and on their archaeological contexts, and in conjunction with passages from the Koryo chronicles, a consideration is made of the date of reconstruction of the main hall, in the second phase of building, after the main hall of the first phase was abandoned. In addition, the reason why the buildings of the second phase were lost in fire, as conjectured from the Koryo chronicles, and the date of reconstruction in the third phase of building, are discussed.
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