Ancient Tombs in Yeonsan-dong, Busan

The Ancient Tombs in Yeonsan-dong, Busan are a Three Kingdoms-period tomb group built between the late 5th and early 6th centuries. Eighteen burial mounds are arranged in a single line along the gentle ridge running north from Baesan Mountain, and around 1,000 further tombs are scattered across the surrounding slopes. Seven excavations carried out between 1987 and 2013 revealed the largest vertical stone-lined pit tombs (suhyeolsik seokgwakmyo, tombs with a stone-built burial chamber set in a vertical pit) yet found among the Three Kingdoms-period tomb groups surveyed in the Yeongnam region. The tombs are highly valuable for what they reveal about tomb-construction techniques of the Three Kingdoms period. Notable features include the interior of the stone chamber finished with a clay coating; the use of a brushwood-and-earth technique to keep rainwater from seeping into the chamber; the use of weathered granite soil to reinforce soft ground and spread the weight of the mound; the use of clay lumps of varying sizes to build a solid mound; and the use of timber to move the huge capstones. The Yeonsan-dong tombs combine features of both Silla and Gaya tomb construction, and the artefacts recovered include objects distinctive to the Busan region alongside others showing Silla characteristics, making the site an important resource for research into the ancient history and culture of Busan and the Yeongnam region in the 5th and 6th centuries. More than 3,700 artefacts have been recovered, including earthenware, armour and helmets, now held at the Bokcheon Museum (around 3,000 pieces, in storage), the Silla University Museum and the Gimhae National Museum. The most important pieces are on display at the Dongnae branch of the Busan Museum and in the permanent exhibition hall of the Bokcheon Museum.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeonje-gu, Busan

Designation

Historic Site · 사적