Ancient Tombs in Bokcheon-dong, Busan

These are tombs from the Gaya period, located on the hills around Bokcheon-dong, Busan. Repeated excavations have identified more than 40 tombs, but most still remain underground. The tombs take various forms, including wooden-chamber tombs with a large pit dug into the ground to hold a wooden coffin (topgwang-mokgwakmyo), pit-type stone-chamber tombs built by stacking square stones for walls and covering them with a roof (suhyeolsik-seoksilmyo), and simple pit tombs in which the body was buried directly in the ground. Many of the large tombs escaped looting, yielding more than 2,000 diverse artefacts. The pottery, including stemmed cups (gobae), long-necked jars (janggyeongho) and clay lamps, is characteristic of the lower Nakdonggang River region in the fourth and fifth centuries. A wide variety of iron armour and helmets were also excavated. In particular, the plate armour from Tomb No. 4 is the first such armour ever discovered in Korea. The lamellar armour from Tomb No. 11 was found complete with all its fittings, the first complete example of its kind found in Korea. The horse trappings found in Tomb No. 10 are the first complete set intended for actual use ever discovered. This armour and these helmets resemble those depicted in Goguryeo tomb murals. The new tomb style seen at Bokcheon-dong provides important clues for research into the development and transformation of tomb forms.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Dongnae-gu, Busan

Designation

Historic Site · 사적