This study aims to identify systems related to the production and manufacture of pottery during the Bronze Age, by analyzing the similarities of earthenware kilns and examining comprehensively the shapes and characteristics of pottery. Main earthenware subjected to analysis in this study is jar-type pottery (壺形土器, hohyeong togi), red burnished round-type jar (赤色磨硏圓底壺, Jeoksaekmayeon wonjeoho), and bowl-type pottery (鉢形土器, Balhyeong togi).

As for jar-type pottery and bowl-type pottery, only their medium and large ones were subjected to analysis, because it was judged that there might have been functional differences according to the sizes of pottery in the Bronze Age. Pottery was classified into the primary continuous attributes and the secondary continuous attributes, and variables for the analysis of similarities in pottery shapes were extracted. As for means to the analysis of pottery similarity, the use of the coefficient of variation was adopted in this paper.

Tendencies of changes in pottery were identified from the review of settlement cases in the Bronze Age, according to periods, regions, and ruins. As for jar-type pottery examined according to residential area types (periods), their similarity was highest among the Songguk-ri style, followed by the former period and the Hyuam-ri style. As for red burnished round-type jars, their similarity was highest among Songguk-ri style, followed by the Hyuam-ri style and the former period, showing the flow by period. As for bowl-type pottery, both medium and large ones showed the highest similarity among the Hyuam-ri style, followed by the former period and the Songguk-ri style, showing an aspect contrary to medium-sized jar-type pottery. As for the medium and large ones of jar-type pottery examined according to regions, they showed the highest similarity during the former period along the northwestern coastal area in Chungcheong-do. During the middle period, regions showing high similarity were shifted to the mid and upper streams of Geumgang River, the mid and lower stream basin of Geumgang River, and the southwestern coastal region in Chungcheong-do. As for red burnished round-type jars, they showed the highest similarity at the northwestern coastal region in Chungcheong-do as in the jar-type pottery during the former period. The increase of similarity at Asan-man Bay, and the mid & upper streams and mid & lower streams of Geumgang River was identified. As for the medium and large bowl-type pottery, they showed high similarity during the former period at the southwestern coastal region of Chungcheong-do; and, during the middle period, overall the western coastal region of Chungcheong-do showed high similarity.

The similarities of pottery vessel types identified as above were found to develop in various aspects, when reviewed according to periods and regions. It is deemed that the aspects of changes in the similarities of each pottery were influenced by new fabricating techniques and firing types, which appeared in the process of transition from the former period to the middle period. Tanal (打捺, beating) technique, a new fabricating technique, was used to reinforce the walls of vessels and standardize the shapes of pottery vessels. Pottery to which the Tanal technique was applied showed higher similarity than Mumun pottery. And it is estimated that open firing was carried out during the former period of the Bronze Age. During the middle of the Bronze Age, the type of firing was changed into a new cover-type firing. The appearance of the cover-type firing seems to have been related to intensive farming in the middle period.

In the former period of the Bronze Age, it seems that the production system was domestic production by non-experts in the form of self-sufficiency within household. Inhabitants in each settlement produced earthenware pottery to consume within their individual families, and they possibly made minimum investment into raw materials acquisition, or work tools and equipment.

The pottery production system during the middle of the Bronze Age is supposed to have undergone gradual changes into the forms of full-time production and semi full-time production. To consider according to detailed periods, the degree of similarity in jar-type and bowl-type pottery was heightened gradually at the former period, and thus gradual changes can be assumed. It is deemed that the possibility is high given the similarity of red burnished round-type jars exceptionally heightened in the middle period, and the similarity of jar-type slightly increased at the stage of Songguk-ri style residential areas. The red burnished pottery for funeral or ritual was produced by full-time producers; and Mumun pottery is seemed to have been fabricated by semi full-time experts or non-experts. Production systems of different scales and organizations can coexist within a society, and it is presumed that the operating methods of the pottery production systems within a settlement showed differences.