Uses and meanings of Kettle and Tripod Cauldron with handle in Gaya

While interest in the international nature of Gaya has increased since the Gaya Ancient Tombs were registered as a World Cultural Heritage, the fact that it was the only one to dispatch a mission to Nanjing, China in 479 is attracting attention. The relationship between Gaya and the Southern Dynasties can be confirmed through ceramics and metal containers. However, the two metal containers are still used interchangeably, or the research methodology that only explains the route of translocation and the background of burial in a political sense is facing limitations. Therefore, in an attempt to expand the research perspective, this study attempted to examine the use and meaning of the two metal containers. Kettle with handle(鐎壺) was widely used during the Warring States - Wei and Jin Dynasties, especially during the Han Dynasty, and functioned as both an everyday container and a burial container. Through the study of this paper, we learned specifically that Kettle with handle(鐎壺) was a device used to heat alcohol. A series of excavation situations such as the excavation of a pottery from the main compartment of a wooden box, the excavation of a pottery inside a brazier container, the confirmation of fire marks, and the discovery of alcohol inside a pottery prove that the pottery was of heating alcohol. Based on a series of contents related to Chinese Kettle with handle(鐎壺), the Gaya materials were examined, and the possibility that the Kettle from Tomb M5 in Wolsan-ri, Namwon were excavated together with celadon cavities was suggested to be from the heating. This study classified Gaya Tripod Cauldron with handle(鐎斗) into two types, Type I and Type II, based on its shape, especially the presence or absence of a water outlet. Type I candles were considered to be used as cooking utensils, and Type II candles were considered to be used as cooking utensils. In particular, Type II candles were very popular from the Eastern Jin to the Southern Dynasties, and the reasons for their popularity in the Six Dynasties were the Cheongdam(淸淡) ideology, Taoist ideology(道家思想), and Hansiksan(寒食散), which were prevalent in the society of the Six Dynasties. The case of Gyodong Tomb No. 11, the only one among the first tombs of Gaya whose excavation site is known, belongs to Type II, and its date is estimated to be the late 5th century. Based on examples from China during the same period, it is possible that the Gaya Tripod Cauldron with handle(鐎壺) functioned as a container for heating alcohol, medicinal, and mineral medicine. In addition, mica, mortars, etc. found in Baekje, Silla, and Gaya are linked to Taoism and herbal medicine, so it is possible that the Gaya ruling class also requested the concept of eternal life and its items.