• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.158-171
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• 2016

The observation and analysis results of 9 glass bead samples collected from Oc Eo site in Vietnam, an outport of the ancient port city Funan in East Asia, are as follows. The type of glass beads is round, the colors are reddish brown, greenish blue, green, black and purplish blue, and the chemical composition is soda glass group. This means that they are similar in type, color and chemical compositions to glass beads from the ancient Korean peninsula. There are limitations in data because the glass beads are not from excavation investigation but from earth surface investigation. But it is significant that similar making technique and chemical composition are being observed in both the glass beads from Oc Eo and those of Korea. According to "Nihon Shoki" Kinmeiki, Baekje king sent Funan's goods and 2 slaves to Japan in 543. It is clear that there were direct or indirect exchanges between Baekje and Funan. The possibility has grown that glass beads could be included among goods.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.66-83
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• 2018

This article focuses how the materials of hatstrings of the 19th to 20th century gat, the Korean top hat for men among the collections of National Folk Museum of Korea, was transformed after port opening treaties with overseas since 1876. As a result of analyzing the materials of the hatstrings, amber, tortoiseshell, wood and bamboo as the traditional materials were used, and ivory, glass (soda glass, lead glass, alkali mixed glass) and plastics (cellulose nitrate, phenol-formaldehyde, polystyrene, acryl) were newly used for the hatstrings. Bamboo, wood and amber were the most frequently used materials. Bamboo was mainly used for the pipe of hatstring and were combined with beads and central decorations of other materials. This shows the trend of bamboo hatstring according to the simplification of the clothing and the culture by Regent Heungseon Daewongun. Ambers were used in the central decorations and beads and the origin of ambers was baltic amber just like the amber relics found in Korea. Compositions of glass were soda glass and alkali mixed glass which were excavated or handed down in Korea from ancient times to Joseon dynasty. But in the case of lead glass, Na2O was detected and it is considered to be a new type lead glass for crafts which came from overseas after port opening since 1876 because it showed the characteristic that it deviates from the lead glass component found in Korea. Plastics such as cellulose nitrate and phenol-formaldehyde were used as new synthetic materials to replace traditional materials such as tortoiseshell, amber, and coral as in the West. Cracks, crazing, crumbly and yellowing of cellulose nitrate of hatstrings were observed by deterioration. The survey of the materials of the 19th to 20th century hatstrings among the collections of National Folk Museum of Korea showed that the introduction of new materials such as glass and plastics were used to replace natural materials such as tortoiseshell and amber along with the use of traditional materials after port opening since 1876.