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What designs appeared on Korea's early Neolithic pottery?

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Korean dragon jar — Korean art Dragon jar, porcelain with iron-painted decoration under clear glaze, Korea, mid-17th century; in the Brooklyn Museum, New York. 31.4 × 37.1 cm. Diameter at mouth 12 cm. Diameter at base 9.5 cm.

The earliest Neolithic pottery in Korea, dating to the 6th millennium BCE, featured flat-bottomed vessels decorated with raised horizontal lines, zigzag patterns around the rim, or horizontal rows of impressed dots or fingernail marks.1

By the 5th millennium BCE, these designs evolved into the characteristic comb-pattern pottery. This style is defined by a pointed or rounded bottom and surfaces entirely covered in geometric patterns, such as herringbone, meander, and concentric semicircles. These designs were created using incised, impressed, or dragged short lines and dots, often arranged in horizontal or vertical rows to produce a comb-like effect. This linear, abstract aesthetic reflects the broader tradition of prehistoric Siberian art.21