The Bangudae Petroglyphs (Korean: 반구대 암각화) are pre-historic engravings on flat vertical rock faces.

They are on rocks around 8m wide and around 5m high on steep cliffs on the riverside of the Daegokcheon stream, a branch of the Taehwa River,[1] which runs eastward and joins the East Sea at Ulsan.

[1][2] The engravings of whales and deer were made in most cases by carving out the body, while those of land animals mostly consist of outlines and patterns drawn on the rock surface.

[1] Both sea and land animals are described as being pregnant, referring to the ancient people’s desire for food and fertility.

[5][3] Since these kinds of images are hard to find out around the world, the value Bangudae site holds is considered to be huge.

[3] The figures are side views of the whole body with a somewhat exaggerated penis or front images of people with mask-like faces spreading their four limbs.

On later engravings there is the suggestion of a wooden fence, but since the inner outlines resemble fish and land animals are lacking the possibility of a fishpond has been considered.

Some species can be classified according to the shape of body, skin patterns, the length of tail and legs, and the shoulder line.

[6] The bows and sterns are semi-circular and are connected to a harpoon stuck into the body of whales and to floats hanging on a rope.

Furthermore, a boat was excavated from the shell midden in Bibong-ri, Changnyeong, and during the Hwangseong-dong site excavation research project conducted by the Korea Archaeology and Art History Research Institute a whale bone stuck with a harpoon was found, which empirically proves whaling.

Consequently, considering livelihoods in that period, hunting and fishing tools, related relics, and contemporary contents, the rock art seems to have been made between the early and mid-Neolithic era.

[7] The Sayeon Dam,[5][4] built from 1962 to 1965 and expanded between 1999 and 2002, helps supply Ulsan with drinking water but has caused the rocks on which the petroglyphs are carved to be flooded for about eight months of every year.