Yeoncheon Tonghyeon-ri Dolmen

Dolmens are tombs built by people of the Bronze Age, also known as goindol; some scholars view them not as tombs but as altars used for rituals. Depending on their form, dolmens are divided into the table type, which stands upright on the ground like a table, and the go-board type, in which a large capstone is propped on small supporting stones or rests directly on flat stones without supports. Korea retains more dolmens than any other country in the world, and in 2000 the dolmen sites of Ganghwa-gun in Incheon, Gochang in Jeollabuk-do and Hwasun in Jeollanam-do were together inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage property. The Yeoncheon Tonghyeon-ri Dolmen stands on a low hill slope at the eastern edge of Gopo-ri village. It is of the table type; originally there were two dolmens here, but only one survives today. The capstone measures 3.2 m in length and 2.5 m in width, and part of it has broken off and now lies beside the supporting stones. Two supporting stones that hold up the capstone survive, standing 1.8–2 m high. The dolmen was restored to its present appearance following a national heritage excavation and restoration project in 2010. The Tonghyeon-ri Dolmen has long been known, but it has suffered considerable damage from military facilities. Even so, it remains important material for understanding the character of dolmens in the Imjingang and Hantangang river basins.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료