Yangju Okjeongniseondol

Standing stones (seondol), together with dolmens, are a form of megalithic culture from the Bronze Age: a natural stone, or one partly shaped from a natural stone, was set upright and made an object of worship. A seondol could carry various functions and meanings. One erected alongside a dolmen served as a grave marker (myopyoseok) signalling a burial space, while one set up at a village entrance served to protect the village, warding off evil spirits or blocking the mouth of a watercourse. A seondol placed in a field, or on a low hill overlooking one, carried the meaning of a prayer for abundance. Seondol could also mark boundaries or serve as signposts. Because seondol are commonly found near dolmens, those in Korea can be said to have been erected from the Bronze Age onward. At Okjeongniseondol, two standing stones stand about 200 metres apart at either end of a small hill known as 'Wanggamulgol'. The site lies at the entrance to a village, in a spot with a fine, open view in every direction. Seondol No. 1, erected to the east of the village, is granite shaped into a stone pillar pointed at the top, standing about 3 metres high. Seondol No. 2, to the west, matches No. 1 in rock type, form and size, and still clearly bears wedge marks on all four faces. Standing at the village entrance, Okjeongniseondol thus served a protective function, but its pointed tip, symbolising masculinity, also appears to have carried the meaning of a prayer for abundance.

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Where it is

Region

Yangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료