한국 동심원암각화의 상징－물과 관련하여 (The Symbols of Korean Concentric Circle Petroglyphs in Relation to Water)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 동아시아고대학회
· 수록지 정보 : 동아시아고대학 / 26호 / 149 ~ 192페이지
· 저자명 : 이하우

초록

한국 암각화의 표현물 중에는 여러 점의 동심원암각화가 있다. 동심원암각화에 대한 인식은 이것이 태양상징으로 이해되는 것이 일반적이다. 그러나 필자는 대구 천내리의 한 고인돌에서 새로운 암각화를 조사하면서, 이 조사를 계기로 그간 학계에 수용되어 온 동심원암각화가 태양상징이라는 설에 대하여 재검토하였다. 이에 본고에서는 한국 동심원암각화의 성격을 밝혀보고자 한다.
이미 잘 알려진 동심원암각화 외에 근래에 와서 새롭게 조사된 자료도 여러 점 있다. 증가된 자료를 바탕으로 필자는 동심원암각화가 제작된 바위의 조건과 방위, 동심원이 바라보고 있는 전방의 입지조건, 그리고 문양의 성립과 같은 부분을 중점적으로 분석하였다. 이에 따르면 동심원암각화는 태양보다는 물과 관계가 깊다는 여러 현상을 발견할 수 있으며, 결론적으로 필자는 동심원암각화를 물을 상징하는 문양으로 보고자 한다.
대구 진천동과 같은 입석이나 일부 고인돌이 제의장소의 기능이 있다는 고고학적 자료를 바탕으로 볼 때, 몇몇 고인돌은 공동체 사회의 집단적 제의장소로서 활용되었을 것이다. 동심원암각화가 새겨진 고인돌도 같은 기능이 있었을 것으로 보인다. 그렇다면 이와 같은 고인돌에서 제의형태는 우선 거석숭배나 조상숭배와 같은 방식을 생각할 수 있지만, 그 외에 가뭄과 같은 재해를 피하고자 물 또는 비의 상징물로 동심원암각화를 새겨놓고 기우제와 같은 의례가 수행된 것이 아닐까 한다.

영어초록

Since several figures in the form of concentric circle have been found in the remains of petroglyphs in Korea, reserchers have long considered them a symbol of the Sun. We have studied for a while, however, with the idea that they may indicate some other objects. Recently examining petroglyphs in Chunnae-ri(Daegu), we suggest a critical reexamination of the established hypothesis in order to reconsider the characteristics of these figures.
There were a lot of recently found and examined remains of Korean petroglyphs such as petroglyphs in Jincheon-dong(Daegu), Anin-ri(Milyang), Jicho-ri(Musan, North Korea), not mentioning some well-known ones in Cheonjeon-ri(Woolsan), Yangjeon-dong(Goryung) and Dohang-ri(Haman). In addition to it, more recently, the remains in Chunnae-ri were now also being studied, their figures in concentric circles. With this increased number of data now we had, the method applied to our serious analyctic works was based on the close examination of the rocks and the conditions of their location, including what the front area that these figures were directly facing forward was like. Following this method, we could more count on menhirs and dolmens than natural rocks in order to draw better results. For menhirs and dolmens, a maker can choose the location and direction of their works more freely. Therefore, these samples show better the intentions of the maker. Thus we put more minute efforts on the observation about them.
For the matter of directions, we studied first, they all showed inconsistency. Each rock on which these concentric circles were engraved was towards each different direction. This fact opposed the idea that these figures referred the sun, for symbols of the Sun were usually made in a certain range of north-eastern directions. We found, on the contrary, that where these concentric circles were directly facing are always the waters, rivers etc. For this discovery went with all the examples we studied, it showed the possibility that these circles are more related to water than the sun.
Plus, considering that some menhirs and dolmens such as the ones in Jincheon(Daegu), had been regarded for religious ritual and ceremony, we thought it was even more probable that dolmens in Chunnae-ri, Anin-ri, Dohang-ri might had been for the same usage. Their locations were very likely to have been a religious cite for people in collective society. For many typical Korean ancient societies which were mostly dependant on farming since the Bronze Age, irrigation was crucial problem. We think, therefore, besides admiration of giant stones and ancestors, there might have been largely practiced way of religious ritual for rain in order to overcome droughts. All in all, we suggest that the concentric circle figures found in Korean petroglyphs are basically a symbol of water, used for religious rituals, most likely for rain.

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