Brief introduction of ancient Korean stone-supported tombs

The supporting stone tomb (Korean: koindol or chisongmyo) is a simple structure made of a stone, which was built in the late Neolithic or Bronze Age of Korea (BC 1000). In ancient Korea, they most often appeared near villages. Archaeological findings of burying them show that they were tombs built for elite members of the community. South Korea has recorded more than 200,000 megalithic structures, 90% of which have the status of protected monuments in South Korea. Most of the stones used are huge. The biggest examples are 5.5 meters wide, 7. 1 meter high, and many of them weigh more than 70 tons.

geographical distribution

Archaeological evidence shows that the culture of the Bronze Age spread from Manchuria to the Korean Peninsula, especially in the Songgeli River and Liaohe River basins. Mixed with the indigenous Neolithic population, this new culture may have created a social elite who is responsible for and respects the establishment of stone tombs. There are similar stone tombs in Jeju Island, Jianghua Island and Japan, indicating that the cultural wave did not stop in South Korea, but crossed the relatively narrow strait and reached the Japanese archipelago.

Although stone tombs usually appear as isolated monuments, there is a "graveyard" in the south, which consists of 30- 100 adjacent examples.

design

The structure of stone-supported tombs can take three different forms, and the exact configuration varies from region to region. The first one, which is more common in the northern part of the Korean peninsula (opposite the Han River), is a form of "table" or "takcha", in which a large stone is horizontally placed on two or more upright stones which are usually arranged in a square. The second one is called Paduk, and there is a big flat stone on a pile of smaller stones. The third type, which is more common in the south, is to lay a big stone flat on a small rectangular burial tomb lined with slate, with a general size of 2000 x 30 cm. Or, the grave may consist of a simple pot burial, perhaps for children. The first stone tomb often appears alone, and other stone tombs sometimes appear in rows or groups.

Historian Jinwung Kim explained the design of the stone tomb as follows:

This stone tomb has a unique appearance. The round flat-topped stone probably symbolizes the sky, and the square upright stone represents the ground; At that time, people believed that the soul of their leader rested at the intersection of heaven and earth. (8)

An outstanding example of ancient stone tombs in Korea is the table structure on Jianghua Island, which can be traced back to BC. The bronze age of Korea in 1000 BC. Monolithic stones (vertical stones) which have nothing to do with burial environment and may be used as marker stones have also been found in various parts of Korea.

dig

Although stone tombs usually appear in the form of a single monument, there are also "cemeteries" in the south, which consist of 30- 100 examples, which are placed close to each other and sometimes lined up in a straight line. This shows that the individuals buried in it belong to the same elite class, perhaps the same ruler dynasty. A stone tomb usually contains the remains of a person, whose identity can be revealed by the precious bronzes in it and the fact that they built the tomb, which involves the hard work of moving the stones from the source for several kilometers. The huge size of the stones involved also shows that the community they built is not only a village, but also needs manpower to move these stones.

The excavation of the tomb under the stone tomb unearthed bronzes such as daggers, swords, bells and mirrors, as well as polished stone daggers and polished pottery. Several tombs also contain jade or Tianhe stone beads, some of which are crescent-shaped and called gogok, which may have originated in Siberia and represent new life. Gogok (also known as kogok) will reappear in later decorations, especially in the Golden Crown Kingdom of Silla (57 BC-935 AD). One of the richest tombs is in the Southern Song Dynasty, which contains more than 65,438+000 bronzes, including axes, chisels, lacquer bark sheaths and tubular jade beads in addition to mirrors and daggers. Some items may belong to shaman, and there is evidence that shaman was also an early tribal leader in North Korea.

Prominent problem

Historians and archaeologists have never solved a curious question: why are the discoveries in tombs different? The more precious objects of bronzes are actually the stone tombs with the least impression. The importance of the size of the keystone has also caused controversy among scholars, whether this means the status of the individual buried in it. The exact location of the stone is another source of disagreement, and another issue is the great similarity between Korean and European stone tombs (for example, Karnak and Locmaria Kerr in France). There is no evidence that the two areas had contact during the construction period. Obviously, these impressive but mysterious monuments will continue to raise puzzling questions, just as they undoubtedly left a complete offspring to the ancient Korean culture.