• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.48-57
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• 2014

More than 30 lead beads have been excavated from buddhist temples and sites but the production times are unknown the origin. The aim of this study is to estimate manufacturing technique and provenance of 11 beads through the chemical composition and isotope analysis. Results shows that the lead beads are composed of high-purity lead and cast using for 2 semicircle moulds. Furthermore, 11 lead beads are similar in size, chemical composition and casting methods. Lead isotope analysis data suggest that the provenance of lead beads are not Korea peninsula. Also it is estimated that 11 lead beads were divided in 2 groups considering the time and places of production. The future works will be executed additional scientific analysis and historical background due to confirm the manufacturing system and provenance.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.28
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• pp.65-88
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• 2022

The characteristics and behavior of bullets are important because they are directly related to the firearm performance. However, research related to bullets have been small. In this paper, scientific analysis was conducted to find out the materials and manufacturing process of metal bullets during the Joseon Dynasty, owned by Korea Army Museum, and the types of firearms available were classified and organized according to the bullet diameter. As a result, bullets were classified into iron bullets, lead bullets, and lead-coated iron bullets. Most of the iron bullets and lead bullets were made from casting. Some iron bullets were made from forging. And the lead-coated iron bullet was made by pouring molten lead after putting the iron bullet into the mold. Finally, the bullets could be used for Hand Cannon, Matchlock Musket, Frankish Cannon, Hyeon-ja Cannon, Dae-Wiwon Cannon, Small Cannon, and Hong-Yi Cannon.