Yeonggwang Seongsan-ri Dolmen Group

Dolmens are the representative tombs of the Bronze Age, also known as goindol, and are generally understood to be the tombs of a ruling class with economic or political power. Korean dolmens are divided into two types: the table type (takja-shik), in which four support stones are set up to form a stone chamber topped with a massive, flat capstone, and the go-board type (baduk-pan-shik), in which a stone chamber is built underground with small support stones set beneath the capstone. In Seongsan-ri, Hongnong-eup, Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, 45 go-board type dolmens are densely clustered. They form four rows on a low hill, and local residents also call them Janggibau. Go-board type dolmens are sometimes classed as those with support stones and those without; of the 45 dolmens here, 17 are raised on support stones, while the rest sit directly on or are buried in the ground. By size, 12 dolmens are under 2m, 24 are between 2m and 3m, and 5 are 3m or more. The largest dolmen stands at the centre of the group and appears to serve as its focal point, with five support stones set around the capstone to hold it up. This form is a feature found only in the north-western part of Jeollanam-do, in areas such as Gochang, Yeonggwang, Hampyeong and Jangseong.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeonggwang, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물