Ancient Tombs in Songhak-dong, Goseong

Seven Gaya tombs run down a ridge from Mugisan, the first and largest at the summit and the other six below it. Together with the shell midden 300 metres east and another cemetery to the north, they mark the seat of So Gaya. Tomb one looks from the outside like a keyhole — square in front, round behind — the form associated with contemporary Japanese burials, and that resemblance is argued over. Excavation found something different underneath: earth heaped into a ridge shape first, then a stone chamber built into it, which is a Gaya method and not a Japanese one. The six below are read as attendant burials placed to guard the first. Its position and its size make its occupant the local ruler, and the date sits within fifty years either side of AD 400.

Original Text

Where it is

Region

Goseong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적