The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes of iron pots in the name and function during the Goryeo Dynasty. Recently, iron pots with pier were named Ding(鼎), iron pots without pier were named Fu(釜) by many students. However, in the Goryeo period, the iron pots with or without pier, was also called a Fu(釜), according to Xujing(徐兢)’s argument. Therefore, the way to distinguish between Ding and Fu according to the presence or absence of pier, should be reconsidered.
Nevertheless, iron pots, excavated in the Goryeo period, can be distinguished according to the presence or absence of piers in shape. The pot without pier was a relatively large scale, big pot was with mouth-diameter of about 50cm, a small one of 26cm, and an average of 35cm. They were obviously larger than the average mouth-diameter of a pot with pier. It’s mouth-diameter was the average of 35cm.
The pot without pier was placed on the stove, named Bu-tu-mag. In the Chosun Dynasty, the shape of the pot without pier was changed. The ‘U’ shape in the pot became flat one with wide mouth-diameter. The question of whether these changes were universal according to the change of time, should be made through the examination of more data, but it seemed to have a tendency.
The pot with pier was smaller than the pot without pier and the bottom was flat. In this pot, the change of shape did not occur even when entering the Chosun Dynasty. The pot with pier, which Xujing(徐兢) called ‘Zhoufu(鬻釜)’, was called "Nogu(鏀口)" in the late Joseon Dynasty. The Nogu pot was with pier or not, it was widely used in cooking, in the late Joseon Dynasty.
The pot without pier, placed on Bu-tu-mag, was used to cook rice or boil something. The pot with pier, placed on anywhere, was used to cook various kinds of food like vegetables. Therefore, it was a necessary instrument in the cooking during the Goryeo period. These pots were made by certain villages or groups, and these groups also produced other irons such as plowshares. This pattern seems to have continued until the late Joseon Dynasty.