Seokwa-ri Mokchaekseong Fortress, Cheongju

Seokwa-ri Mokchaekseong Fortress, Cheongju, is the first mokchaekseong — a fortification formed by a wooden palisade — of the Baekje Sabi period to be identified in the Cheongju area. It lies on the bank of the Miho-cheon Stream in Seokwa-ri, Gangnae-myeon, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju. The fortress occupies a solitary hillock, though the terrain is relatively steep with exposed rock; to its west the Miho-cheon meanders from north to south, and alluvial plains have formed to the north, east and south. Excavation confirmed a total of 47 features: one line of Baekje-period palisade posts (76 post holes), five dwelling sites, 18 round storage pits, one water-collection facility, 16 pit features, one cluster of post holes (nine post holes), four Joseon-period pit graves, and one ditch feature of unknown date. Given that storage pits and the palisade form the core of the site, together with the topographical conditions — the Miho-cheon meandering north–south immediately to the west and the site's location on a solitary hillock — the fortress is thought to show the possibility of long-term occupation as a defensive facility. Based on the chronology of the excavated earthenware, roof tiles and ironware, it is dated to the Baekje Sabi period or later. A distinctive feature among the finds is the roof tiles and varied ironware recovered from the dwelling sites and storage pits, in particular that iron axes were the most numerous weapon type found in Storage Pit No. 1. The large quantities of carbonised plant remains, such as acorns, also recovered suggest that the inhabitants both ate and stored acorns. Taken together, these features suggest that the site functioned as an important strategic base during the Baekje Sabi period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheongju, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물