Oedo Island Dolmen No. 3

Dolmens (jiseokmyo, also called goindol) are the representative tombs of the Bronze Age, generally known to have been the tombs of a ruling class with economic wealth or political power. Dolmens in Korea are divided into the table type, in which four supporting stones are erected to form a stone chamber with a huge, flat capstone placed on top, and the go-board type, in which a stone chamber is built underground with small supporting stones, over which a capstone is placed. The group of dolmens in Oedo-dong, Jeju City, stands in the hilly area along Oedocheon, a stream flowing through the west of Jeju City, and together with the dolmens of Gwangnyeong-ri, Aewol-eup, Bukjeju-gun, nearby, forms a cluster of around 20 dolmens. Oedo Island Dolmen No. 3 is unusual in that the cross-section of its capstone forms an arch; it measures 2.82m in length, 1.9m in width and 0.3–0.6m in thickness. Round, flat stones were used as supporting stones on the south and north, while on the west the capstone rests directly on the ground, propped by several small stones rather than a separate supporting stone. On the upper surface of the capstone is a single cup-mark (seonghyeol), a hollow made to pray for a good harvest or for children. The dolmens of Jeju Island include forms shared with those of the southern mainland, but also distinctive forms found only on Jeju Island. The most distinctive feature of Jeju's dolmens is that, although of the go-board type, the burial chamber is set above ground, and because they were built making use of sloping terrain, the shape of the supporting stones can differ even within a single dolmen.

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Where it is

Region

Jeju City, Jeju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물