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Interviewer: Kim Eun-kuk, researcher at Institute on Pre-Modern Korean History, Northeast Asian History Foundation

Written by Yun Hyeon-ju

E.I. Gelman

Senior researcher, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Far-Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences

Gelman has been teaching archaeology at the Far-Eastern University of Technology and Far-Eastern State University, both in Primorsky Krai, after receiving a doctoral degree in the subject of “Glazed Pottery and Pottery in Medieval Primorsky” in 1996. Since then, while serving as research fellow at the early medieval survey lab of archaeology in the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Far-Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, he has been excavating and studying numerous Balhae ruins in Primorsky Krai such as the Kraskino Fortress and Gorbatka Fortress. Moreover, he has been the chief of the Russian side of the Korea-Russia joint survey team for the Kraskino Fortress since 2011. He authored “Excavation Survey of Kraskino Balhae Fortress in Primorsky”, “Stories of Balhae Yeomju Fortress”, and numerous other books.

Balhae was part of the history of South and North Korean affairs from the 7th through 10th centuries along with Silla. However, there have been numerous difficulties in the research of Balhae history because the people of Balhae did not leave records in person, and their domain was widely scattered in China, Russia, North Korea, etc. Against this backdrop, excavating Balhae ruins and relics is very significant in that it unearths new information and identifies the hidden historical truth. That is why since its foundation, the Northeast Asian History Foundation has been conducting an excavation survey of the Balhae Kraskino Fortress in Russian Primorsky Krai with the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. On November 8, an academic conference took place to piece together our excavation results thus far. We met with E.I. Gelman, the excavation chief of the Russian side who came to Korea to attend the conference, to discuss the academic achievements disclosed through the excavation of the Kraskino Fortress and future tasks.

Q

First, introduce the Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

A

The institute dates back to 1954 when the Far-Eastern Branch of the Siberian Department of Russian Academy of Sciences was founded. A small-scale unit of history and archaeology began its research there. Such renowned Russian scholars as historian A.I. Krushanov, archaeologists E.V. Schavkunov and Z.V. Andreyeva, and Orientalist F.V. Soloviev studied in the unit. Our institute was established 48 years ago based on the unit, and is the center of Russia's Far-Eastern historical studies. The institute focuses on continuously boosting academic research and nurturing research workforces for universities in the Far-Eastern region. The institute is also undertaking many important tasks. We are doing our best to widely popularize knowledge about history, develop cultures in the Asian-Pacific region including East Asia, and boost effective interactions and cooperation in Russian society.

Q

The Russian Academy of Sciences has been excavating the Yeomju Fortress since the 1980s. Your long-running excavation of the Kraskino Fortress may demonstrate that it has been worth your while. What, then, is the significance of the Kraskino Fortress in Russian history?

A

In Russia, archaeological relics are part of the Russian Federation's historical and cultural heritage. Historical sites are protected under Russian law, and the Kraskino Fortress is also an important national historical site of Russia. It can therefore be said that researching the Kraskino Fortress plays a very important part in scrutinizing and understanding the history of ethnic groups that have lived in Russian territory. That is because information about the Kraskino Fortress preserved in the form of bibliographic data is a very important criteria of Russian archaeology in studying the history of Balhae. The excavation of the Kraskino Fortress began nearly 40 years ago, but we have barely scrutinized 10 districts so far because of the wide expanse of area and thick occupation layers exceeding about two meters. However, as the Kraskino Fortress has high historical and cultural value, we will press on with our archaeological research into the fortress.

Q

When did you join the excavation of the Kraskino Fortress, and what has been your most fruitful excavation achievement while taking part in the excavation in person?

A

It was in 1994 that I joined the excavation of the Kraskino Fortress. My involvement in the fortress was a great stroke of luck for me. I frequently felt rewarded and proud while taking part in the excavation over a long time. What is most memorable among other things was our fourth expedition to the Kraskino Fortress. The fourth expedition was conducted jointly with Korean scholars under the sponsorship of the government of the Republic of Korea. A lot of things were unearthed during this period, and this led to the achievements in archaeological research. The most notable things were the yet unknown building styles of the Buddhist temples, wells, kilns for firing roof tiles, dwelling sites and heating systems, and separate and public buildings. We investigated for the first time how the fortress walls and gates had been built, repaired, and rebuilt. Five rectangular structures were discovered along with cultural relics, and these reflected the lives of city dwellers gradually, like a chronicle. This led to the assured scrutiny of the city's chronological foundation that had actually existed. It is difficult to express the inheritance of cultures between Goguryeo and Balhae in a few words, but we could study such inheritance with highly diverse materialistic evidences, ranging from fortification characteristics of buildings to frontal roof tile decorations. The excavation of the historical site every year since then can be noted as another achievement.

Q

Research into fortification types can prompt us to guess the environment of the time as well as the construction methods. Is there anything interesting in the fortification methods involving Balhae's fortresses that was revealed through the excavation of the Kraskino Fortress?

A

Sharpened stones were used for walls, towers, and defense equipment in the Kraskino Fortress. Our research into fortification types has found that this was influenced by Goguryeo. Compared to Goguryeo, the strength of equipment there falls far behind, but it is notable that Goguryeo's basic principles were partly inherited in Balhae's urban construction.

Q

Research into dwelling sites among Balhae's relics has not been conducted actively. Nevertheless, 28 dwelling sites with different preservation conditions were excavated in our excavation survey of the Kraskino Fortress. What forms did the excavated dwelling sites takes, and what does it mean?

A

28 dwelling sites were discovered in Balhae's Kraskino Fortress. Most of the dwelling sites in the rectangular structures below were the quadrangular mud huts with a furnace-type heating system. In the four other rectangular structures of the fortress, we confirmed that the dwelling sites were located on the ground and were quadrangular, and had double heating flues. Near the furnace was a pit for storage, and the chimney was outside of the home. In the dwelling site of a structure with an area of 50 square meters, we found an installation that could have been an open-type veranda in front of the entrance. The bare ground in which a big container for food and water was buried in a pit was in front of the dwelling site. This reminds us of Korea's traditional dwelling sites. But here the container is behind the dwelling site.

Q

The Kraskino Fortress performed an important function as the center of Balhae's Donggyeongyongwonbu. Our excavation survey found that it was a transport center linking land and sea routes. Tell us a bit about the relics and traces supporting this, and explain what can be inferred.

A

According to documents, the Kraskino Fortress functioned as a sea route to Japan. The fortress was located at the foot of the bay, and members of the expedition and residents were outstanding seamen, fishermen, and shipbuilding engineers. Materials for construction were shipped by sea and river, and some goods produced from the sea (for example whale bones discovered in a few urban regions) were provided from the places far away from shore. It is presumed that lumber needed for shipbuilding was transported via overland routes as well as the river. Goods seem to have been transported to the city from nearby Oriental cities only via overland routes. Camel bones discovered here and animal-shaped bronze relics may be indirect evidence showing that major merchants arrived in the Kraskino Fortress with their goods. Rare and precious commodities introduced from other countries (glass beads, jade, glazed bowls, pottery, articles made of bronze, and hornlike pottery vessels) appear to have been carried through sea routes as well as by overland routes.

Q

You authored “Stories of Balhae Yeomju Fortress” (2017, Cheonga Publishing Co.) with the Foundation. What was your intent as one of the writing staff?

A

Publishing “Stories of Balhae Yeomju Fortress” was a very important occasion to me. This is because we had condensed our long-running archaeological research achievements into one book for the first time. This book was structured effectively to make it easy to hold in your hand. We did our best with a sense of duty to ensure that the book be written to interest a broad range of readers as well as experts. I think that only the readers can judge how well we did.

Q

We have conducted an excavation survey of the Kraskino Fortress for a long time, but our research has not yet been completed. We are curious about what parts you think need more excavation and research as a person in charge. We would also like to hear how you would preserve and manage the Kraskino Fortress with its archaeological significance.

A

It will take decades before the historical site is fully excavated. The establishment of special strategies is needed for this work. We will continue to study the internal layouts of the different time periods while the city existed. For example, some regions were used for special purposes, like administration buildings managing the city, but we have not yet discovered them. In the city there were likely mansions for high-ranking officials and military camps. We would certainly want to find the urban districts where delegations, ordinary merchants, and travelers resided. The city zone for handicraft manufacturing has yet to be excavated. We have strong aspirations to discover the city's well-preserved western gates and excavate Balhae's burial sites. It is also necessary to keep studying the Balhae people's material culture, demographic process, households, and religious beliefs, and to reconstitute the systems that ensured residents' lives as accurately as possible. With respect to excavation preservation and management, we have already brought up the need to build an archaeological center in Kraskino where archaeologists and other experts could work and reside permanently. We also wish to build a museum in the village. In the long term, registering the historical site as a UNESCO world heritage will be our important task. We have a far-reaching plan revolving around the Kraskino Fortress, and this will be carried out over the years to come.