In 1978, an Acheulean hand axe was found in the area of Hantangang River. The axe was the first Acheulean artifact found in East Asia and was used 300,000 years ago. Since then, Paleolithic sites in Jeongok-ri have led to a new understanding of the history of Paleolithic studies in the world. The Jeongok Prehistory Museum opened in 2011 to preserve and promote the Jeongok-ri Paleolithic sites and to enhance the understanding of prehistoric culture and human evolution.









Exhibitions at Jeongok Prehistory Museum are centered around the prehistoric people of Jeongok and the families of primitive humans. To emphasize the complexity and specificity of Korean prehistoric society, the exhibitions are set around five specific themes: modern humans; human evolution; the environment; tools (science and technology); and culture, art, and music. They reconstruct the lives and products of the Jeongok people within the framework of archaeological anthropology and cultural content. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, various feature exhibitions related to prehistoric culture and history are available at the museum, which include the Origin of Korean People, People of the Glacial Age, Excavations from the Paleolithic Period, and In Search of Human Origin.





The collection at Jeongok Prehistory Museum focuses mainly on Paleolithic stoneware such as the hand axe excavated from the Jeongok site and the bone fossils of the mammoths that coexisted with the Paleolithic humans. Many of the relics unearthed over seven excavations conducted from 1978 through 1983 were designated as cultural assets that belong to the state and were scattered throughout a number of national and public museums. However, since the opening of the Jeongok Prehistory Museum in 2011, the museum has made persistent efforts to successfully retrieve the Paleolithic artifacts for its permanent collection. The museum also possesses a great deal of bone fossils of mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses coexisting with the Paleolithic humans in the polar regions.





The museum offers a variety of programs for preschool students adolescents, adults, and families, as well as programs in conjunction with schools and regular education programs. In recognition of its outstanding education programs offered more than 800 times a year, it has been selected as one of the Five Public Museums in the Nation with Excellent Programs, an award conferred by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

<Regular Educational Programs>

• Regular Educational Programs | The museum offers programs that provide a channel through which visitors can learn about the livelihood and living conditions of the prehistoric period as well as prehistoric art and innovation through archaeological and scientific exploration.

<Programs for Schools>

• Museum Outreach Program | An outreach program designed for schools, in which the museum utilizes its content for programs on “Ötzi the Iceman,” “Experiencing Archaeology as a Career,” cave paintings, and the history of Yeoncheon, the location of the museum.

<Adult Programs>

• Sunset on Friday Evening, Taking a Walk around Jeongok | A program inviting visitors to take a stroll with the Walking Guide and Museum Director Lee Hanyong with the theme of “Friday Evening, Sunset, Woods, and the Remains of Jeongok-ri.”
• Cultural lectures for the general public
• Programs for Military Members

<Teen Programs, Children & Family Programs, Preschooler Programs>

• Laws of Prehistory Camping Trip | An overnight program offered to families, in which people can go camping for a night to experience the living conditions and art of the Paleolithic period. It concentrates on prehistoric art in order to look back on the lives of prehistoric people and the impact of artistic activities, continuing the discussion with modern art to reflect on its significance in our current life.
• Overnight Paleolithic Family Camp | A program offered to families to spend a special night at the museum to experience the food, clothing, and homes of the prehistoric period and an opportunity to try one’s hand at making prehistoric tools.
• Prehistoric Preschooler Museum | A human evolution and natural ecology program aimed at preschoolers.

• World Paleolithic Archaeology Symposium — “Current Paleolithic Archaeology of Eurasia” | Experts on prehistoric archaeology from five countries—Russia, China, Japan, Malaysia, and Israel—and scholars from Korea and abroad shared the latest research data on the Paleolithic Age. The symposium provided a great opportunity to build a network of leading global organizations, strengthen cooperation, and enhance the competence of the Jeongok Prehistory Museum through knowledge sharing. (Dec. 4 — Dec. 5, 2015)
  
  
  
  

• The Prehistoric Venus: Her Songs | This exhibit deals with the late Paleolithic period art, in which many female figures named Venus were created. Part One showcases the production and restoration process of graffiti, statues and figurines of Venus, as well as of animals, and humans that were excavated from various places. Part Two offers visitors a chance to experience diverse media art and interactive spaces. (May. 2, 2016 — Feb. 28, 2018)
• Travelling to Prehistoric Age | This exhibition concerns itself with taking a journey into the prehistoric period through the relics that appear in textbooks. It is designed to offer access to students by displaying artifacts typically included in textbooks, such as the hand axe discarded by the first humans on the Korean peninsula during the dawn of East Asia, comb-pattern pottery that shows the first design work of Korea, and sharp knives from the Bronze Age. (April. 26, 2016 — March. 31, 2017)
• Human Revolution GoGoThing | This is an exhibition designed to allow children to understand the origin of humans and their developmental process by operating the controls themselves to view the birth of the universe, emergence of humans, and development of civilization.(April. 25, 2015 — Feb. 28, 2016)
• Man the Hunter | The exhibition looks at hunting, one of the most important life skills in prehistoric times. Hunting in Prehistory illustrates the crucial role of hunting in obtaining food and making possible human survival; why humans had to eat meat; and how hunting, as a skill to obtain meat, emerged. It provides an opportunity to learn the development of hunting skills and how the human wish for success in hunting transformed into a religion. (April. 25, 2013 — Feb. 28, 2014)

• Hand axes | Hand axes made with quartzite and pebbles, collected in the Jeongok-ri Paleolithic Site where early humans lived, are the representative stone tools of the Jeongok-ri historic site. Hand axes are known as the all-purpose tool of the Paleolithic age. Both sides of a stone are cut and made into a diamond shape. It displays an aesthetic beauty.