- Nationality/Period
Early Iron Age
- Provenance
Hwasun-gun
- Materials
Metal - Copper Alloy
- Category
religion - Folk belief - Belief of the village - bell with eight beadsl
- Dimensions
D. 14.5cm, D. 12.5cm
- Designation
National Treasure 143-2
- Accession Number
Sinsu 2580
This bronze bell was unearthed from the archaeological site at Daegok-ri of Dogok-myeon, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do. It features an octagonal bronze disk at the center with eight projections each having a bell at the end. Each bell has a bronze pellet inside which makes a (ringing) sound when shaken. Bronze bells such as this are usually found in pairs, suggesting that they were ritual instruments that would have been held in each hand of the person ringing them. No similar artifacts have been discovered in either China or Japan, making them a uniquely Korean Bronze Age heritage.