Two stone chamber tombs from the Unified Silla Kingdom (668-935) were discovered on a university campus in Seoul, the first time that such relics from the period have been found in the capital.
According to the Korea Institute of Heritage, the institution which organized the excavation, a total of nine relics two chamber tomb sites of Silla, and seven other relics from the Joseon Dynasty have been found on the campus of Sungkyunkwan University, in Myeongnyun-dong, Seoul.
The university had initially planned to construct a building for international education last year on the site where the relics have been discovered. “Because there is a Confucian shrine nearby, which is a national treasure, the government had ordered an investigation to see if there are any other historic relics on site before they start constructing the new building,” said Kim A-gwan, the chief researcher of the Korea Institute of Heritage. “No Silla chamber tomb has ever been found in Seoul before.”
The two Silla chamber tombs are about 14 meters apart from each other. Both of them are severely damaged from repeated construction work in later generations, and what may have been contained within the tombs have been mostly destroyed. Some parts of the tombs’ walls and floor, and stands that seem to have been built to support the coffin, are the only remains in good condition.
The tombs’ walls are made of granites stones, while the floors are made of clay.
In one of the two tombs, six pieces of Silla earthenware have been discovered. This tomb measures approximately 3.3 meters by 2.6 meters and has two coffin stands. It is estimated that two people had been buried in the tomb, though it is unlikely that the bodies were interred at the same time.
The second tomb, which is located about 14 meters north of the first one, measures about 3.5 meters by 2.2 meters. No relics have been found in this tomb.
Other relics dating from the Joseon period, including two building structures, four pits and one storage place, have been found as well.
Author: Claire Lee | Source: The Korea Herald [October 25, 2010]