Ancient Tombs in Gyeseong-myeon, Changnyeong

Ancient Tombs in Gyeseong-myeon, Changnyeong is a large tomb cluster built on the slopes of hills extending west from Mount Yeongchuksan. The Gyeseongcheon Stream flows to the north-west of the site, and 261 mounds are distributed across several ridges, with five large tombs over 30 m in diameter at the summit. Since a distribution map of the tomb cluster was first drawn up in 1917, excavations have been carried out on five occasions: Tomb No. 5 in 1967; Tombs No. 1 and No. 4 in 1968; Tombs No. 2 and No. 3 between 2013 and 2015; Tomb No. 156 in 2017; and Tombs No. 2-3 to No. 5 in 2018. These excavations showed that the tombs are pit-style stone-lined tombs (suhyeolsik seokgwak), a structure in which a stone-built chamber holds the coffin and burial goods, the coffin being lowered vertically into place; here the upper part of the stone chamber was covered with wood. Large quantities of Changnyeong-style pottery were also recovered — a distinctive pottery style of the Changnyeong region that emerged as Silla pottery-making techniques were introduced into the existing Gaya tradition of the area — including lidded mounted dishes, long-necked jars and cylindrical vessel stands. Other finds included ornaments such as fragments of gilt-bronze crowns, gold earrings and silver belts, and horse tack such as pendants for horse trappings, stirrups and saddle fittings, together with weaponry. Ancient Tombs in Gyeseong-myeon, Changnyeong were built over the fifth to seventh centuries: both large mounded tombs of the pit-style stone-lined type from the fifth century, and side-entrance stone-chamber tombs (hoenggusik seoksil) from the sixth and seventh centuries, have been confirmed there. This change in construction style moves from the west to the east of the tomb cluster, making the site an important one for showing the whole process by which Gaya was established, developed and declined in the Changnyeong region, and it is therefore of high historical and academic value.

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Where it is

Region

Changnyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Historic Site · 사적