Digital Heritage Narratives of Korean Stone Pagodas: Documentation, Digitization, and GLAM Contents Disseminations

Abstract. Established in different eras of Korea, stone pagodas have carried similar fates over time: the two identical Ten-Story Stone Pagodas from Gyeongcheonsa and Wongaksa Temple sites have witnessed the ever-changing histories of the peninsula since the mid-fourteenth century. With identical appearances in terms of form, structure, narrative reliefs, and ornaments, the twin pagodas inherit the transformations of religious thoughts and iconography. This paper is dedicated to the symbolic twin pagodas safeguarded in Seoul nowadays, as the vanished stone pagoda in the excavation site of Iksan, Korea. The research spans the history, iconography, digital documentation, conservation process, and the GLAM contents. It aims to investigate the cultural memories of the artifacts and sites through the scopes of digital archaeology and digital heritage imaging. Emerging technologies assist in unveiling the forms, materials, migrations, and dissemination of the tangible heritage through the virtual realm. Through cross-disciplinary studies, the digital heritage narrative takes shape and weaves the cultural skin of the land.