Concave Roof-end Tile with Dragon Design

In ancient times, East Asians regarded the dragon as an animal of mysterious yet benign power, along with kirins, tortoises, and phoenix. Hence, dragon designs were commonly used to ward off evil spirits. According to one ancient record, dragons were believed to have a camel’s head, deer’s antlers, rabbit’s eyes, cow’s ears, snake’s neck, carp’s scales, hawk’s claws, and tiger’s fists. Thus, dragons were considered to be the most powerful animals, and were believed to control water. Roof tiles with dragon designs became the most popular tiles during the Unified Silla Period. Such tiles typically featured either one dragon in profile, or a symmetrical design of two dragons.