Studies on the origin and principles of the modification of Bronze Age ‘polished stone daggers’ in South Korea are generally based on the theory that they were made in imitation of ‘mandolin-shaped bronze daggers.’ It is also generally maintained that ‘decorative polished stone daggers’ are an important link illustrating the relationship between mandolin- shaped bronze daggers and polished stone daggers, based on their morphological similarity.
However, this article argues for the need to reconsider the imitation theory due to mutual contradictions that exist in terms of temporality and spatiality, and instead, proposes a new perspective regarding the meaning of the differentiation that can be observed in terms of the prevalence and persistence of ‘decorative polished stone daggers’ in the southeast coastal area, based on an examination of their spatio-temporal characteristics. In this area where the Songguk-ri Culture rarely left its mark, decorative polished stone daggers were distinctively buried in burials as grave goods while at the same time being continuously used with different types of polished stone daggers in everyday contexts.
It appears that, around the first millennium B.C., under the diverse influx of the Mandolin- shaped Bronze Dagger Culture of the Korean Peninsula, people in the southeast coastal area made decorative polished stone daggers by adopting the existing stone dagger making technology, mimicking the motifs of the bronze dagger with a semicircular and small circular intaglio decoration on the shaft. Therefore, it seems that the decorative polished stone dagger was an unique kind of polished stone dagger which reflects a regional evolution in the material culture of the southeast coastal area. In this respect, it is also proposed that the decorative polished stone dagger can be regarded as a significant part of the Geomdan-ri Culture, which was formed through a period of coexistence between the indigenous culture and new cultural elements.