• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.38-51
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• 2024

Although the bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is a crop with a cultivation history of about 10,000 years in the Old and New Worlds, archaeological considerations on the cultivation and use of bottle gourds on the Korean Peninsula are extremely rare. Accordingly, we reviewed previous reports on bottle gourds and examined the morphological characteristics of seeds and rind fragments from the Korean Peninsula. The investigation yielded several conclusions. First, bottle gourd cultivation likely began during the Bronze Age alongside the introduction of so-called southern crops. Evidence suggests that bottle gourd remains were more prevalent during the Three-Kingdoms period, indicating its significance as a crop during the historical era. Second, bottle gourd seeds from the Three-Kingdoms period exhibit characteristics of both African and Asian subspecies, showcasing a high level of morphological diversity. Third, rind thickness indicates that bottle gourds found at the Bongseon-ri site were of varieties with large fruits. Taken together, it is concluded that the bottle gourd was introduced to the Korean Peninsula during the Bronze Age, and people cultivated a range of bottle gourd varieties during the Three-Kingdoms period.