• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.168-197
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• 2017

This paper considers two aspects of the wooden chamber tombs with stone mound that were constructed in Wolseong North Burial Ground, in Gyeongju: tomb form and the group tomb complex. The basic unit of a wooden chamber tomb with stone mound consisted of a single round mound, covered with an additional earthen layer and surrounded by a circle of protective stones, within which a single wooden chamber was located. The form of a wooden chamber tomb with stone mound could therefore 1) be round, consisting of a single tomb unit, 2) consist of two or more attached tomb units, 3) or consist of multiple attached chambers in a single mound. The single tomb contained the burial of a single individual, and the attached tomb contained two or more individuals who were blood relations or connected by marriage. Multiple attached chambers tombs usually consisted of wooden chamber burials of the lowest rank, and have only been identified in the royal burial area of Wolseong North Burial Ground. At the Jjoksaem Area of Wolseong North Burial Ground, which is currently, under investigation, tombs have been found in small clusters along the slightly raised ground. This is likely the result of small groups of kin relations, upon selecting points along the slightly raised ground as their burial area, having constructed midsized and large single tombs and attached tombs along the axis of the slightly raised ground, which were then surrounded by smaller 'satellite' tombs. It is through this process that the tomb complex of the different groups came to be formed. The tombs of the royal burial area of Wolseong North Burial Ground, including the Daereungwon Tomb Complex, also formed group tomb complexes. Forming the centers of the group tomb complexes of the royal tomb area were huge individual round tombs where the Maripgan rulers were laid to rest or a gourd-shaped dual mound tomb, which was the final resting place of the king and his queen consort. These central tombs were surrounded by large and smaller tombs. Of the individuals that were buried in the group tomb complexes, there would have been individuals that were of equal status or social position, such as husbands and wives or blood relations, but it is unlikely that all of the buried individuals were related by blood, given the significant difference in the sizes of the tombs. It is likely that the individuals buried in the lower ranked tombs included in the group tomb complexes were 'dependents' of the deceased of the central tomb and his or her direct family who maintained a subservient relationship. Such tomb forms and group tomb complexes that can be observed amongst the wooden chamber tombs with stone mounds of Wolseong North Burial Ground provide insights into the nature of the social groups of the Silla center during the Maripgan Period. It is hoped that future studies undertaking a more detailed analysis of the data may make further contributions to unveiling the various aspects of Silla society.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.223-242
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• 2022

The main purpose of this study is to find out the meaning of structural changes that appeared in the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty after the application of a compound lime-mortar(Sammulhoe三物灰: the mortar with lime, sand, ocher). In the early Joseon Dynasty, the royal tomb was constructed by following the system of the stone chamber tomb in the Goryeo Dynasty. However the system of the stone chamber tomb recorded in 『GukJo-OReYi(國朝五禮儀: The five category's formalities in the Joseon Dynasty)』 is very different from that in the Goryeo Dynasty. The biggest difference is that a compound lime-mortar was applied into the system of the stone chamber tomb in order to attempt structural reinforcement. This change reflects King Sejong's willingness to build a dense structure in which water does not permeate the stone chamber when Yeongneung(英陵) was built in 1446(the 28th year of King Sejong's reign). Yeongneung is a complex structure consisting of a stone chamber and compound lime-mortar wall. After constructing a stone chamber, the 1.2m(4尺) thick wall with a compound lime-mortar is additionally constructed outside the stone chamber structure. In 1468(the year of King Yejong's accession), according to the will of King Sejo, the stone chamber system was abolished and the Hyeongung(玄宮: the chamber enshrining a coffin of the deceased king or queen consort) was constructed only by the thick wall with a compound lime-mortar. This change become a primary cause for the royal tomb to be constructed as Hoekyukneung(灰隔陵: the royal tomb with chamber constructed only by the thick wall with compound lime-mortar) in the late Joseon Dynasty. The Hoekyukneung in the late Joseon Dynasty has been constructed with the method of structure and construction for the thick wall with a compound lime-mortar since the complex structure recorded in 『GukJo-OReYi(國朝五禮儀)』. The Hoekuykseoksilneung(灰隔石室陵: the complex structure consisting of a stone chamber and compound lime-mortar wall) is unique tomb style of Joseon Dynasty and become a motive of tomb system(Hoekuykneung) in the late Joseon Dynasty.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.22
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• pp.69-84
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• 2019

This study investigated the formal characteristics and chemical compositions of eighty beads excavated from a Silla tomb complex at Deokcheon-ri, Uljin in order to reveal the methods of production and the characteristics of the raw materials involved, thereby illuminating characteristics of the relics from each tomb. The beads excavated from these Silla tombs include one curved bead, one tubular bead, and 78 globular beads. Among them, the curved and tubular beads and three globular beads were identified to be made of minerals, and the remaining 75 beads are made of glass. Most of the glass beads are thought to have been produced using the drawing technique. The characteristics of the beads were classified according to their site of excavation. The globular beads from Tomb No. 34 belong to the lead-barium glass and potash glass groups, indicating that these beads were produced at a relatively earlier period in time. The glass beads excavated from the tombs in the northern portion of the complex differ in color and chemical composition from those in the southern portion, which indicates the character that each group of beads had different aspect according to site location. Considering that the excavated beads were mainly from fifth- and sixth-century tombs, it is likely that certain groups of people living around Uljin used and buried beads in their tombs. As the governance of Silla became more centralized in the sixth century, the use of beads for burial purpose appears to have come to an end in this region.

• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.62-74
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• 2023

Much attention has been focused on the Baekpoman area due to the archaeological achievements of the past, but studies on prehistoric times when villages began to form is insufficient, and the Bronze Age village landscape was examined in order to supplement this. In the area of Baekpo Bay, the natural geographical limit connected to the inland was culturally confirmed by the distribution density of dolmens, and the generality of the Bronze Age settlement was confirmed with the Hwangsan-ri settlement. Bunto Village in Hwangsan-ri represents a farming-based village in the Baekpo Bay area, and the residential group and the tomb group are located on the same hill, and it is composed of three individual residential groups, and the village landscape had attached buildings used as warehouses and storage facilities. In the area of Baekpo Bay, it spread in the Tamjin River basin and the Yeongsan River basin where Songgukri culture and dolmen culture were integrated, and the density distribution of the villages was considered to correspond to the distribution density of dolmens. In order to examine the landscape of village distribution, the classification of Sochon-Jungchon-Daechon was applied, and it was classified as Sochon, a sub-unit constituting the village, in that the number of settlements constituting the village in the Bronze Age was mostly less than five. There are numerical differences between Jungchon and Daechon, and the distribution pattern does not necessarily coincide with the hierarchy. The three individual residential groups of Bunto Village in Hwangsan-ri are Jungchon composed of complex communities of blood relatives with each family community, and a stabilized village landscape was created in the Gusancheon area. In the area of Baekpo Bay, Bronze Age villages formed a landscape in which small villages were scattered around the rivers and formed a single-layered relationship. Dolmens (tombs) were formed between the villages and villages, and seem to have coexisted. Sochondeul is a family community based on agriculture, and it is believed that self-sufficient stabilized rural villages that live by acquiring various wild resources in rivers, mountains, and the sea formed a landscape.