Archaeological Site in Jeongjisan Mountain, Gongju

Located on the hills of Jeongjisan Mountain in Geumseong-dong, Gongju, this site is presumed, on the basis of a 1996 excavation by the Gongju National Museum, to have been a state-level ritual facility of the Baekje period. At the site, eave-end roof tiles carved with eight-petalled lotus designs—used only on the state's most important buildings—were found, along with elaborately decorated hourglass-shaped stands and other artefacts associated with state rites. The site's orientation matches the directions sin (south-southwest) and yu (west) recorded on the land-purchase deeds of King Muryeong and his queen excavated from the Tomb of King Muryeong, leading some scholars to suggest that this may have been the place where the queen's body was kept and prepared for two to three years after her death, before being finally interred in the tomb. In particular, the absence of foundation stones to support building pillars suggests that the structures were not built for permanent use, and a wattle-and-daub building site within the area is presumed to have been used for storing ice—details that support the likelihood of the site's use for ritual purposes.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gongju, Chungnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적