| Cheonmachong | |
 The heavenly horse | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 천마총 |
| Hanja | 天馬塚 |
| Revised Romanization | Cheonmachong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ŏnmach'ong |
Cheonmachong,formerly Tomb No.155 in South Korea,is a tumulus located in Gyeongju,South Korea.
| Cheonmachong | |
| The heavenly horse | |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 천마총 |
| Hanja | 天馬塚 |
| Revised Romanization | Cheonmachong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ŏnmach'ong |
Cheonmachong,formerly Tomb No.155 in South Korea,is a tumulus located in Gyeongju,South Korea.
The name "Cheonmachong" means Sky horse tomb. This tomb was built in the style of Silla. Excavation of the tomb began on April 16, [1] 1973 and is believed to date probably from the fifth century but perhaps from the sixth century CE. The tomb was for an unknown king of the Silla Kingdom. [2] There is a strong view that this tomb is the tomb of King Jijeung. [3] The deceased is estimated to be around 5 feet 3 inches (160 cm) tall. [4]
Renovations have recently[ when? ] been completed.[ citation needed ]
The tomb,in typical Silla style,is a wood-lined chamber running east to west and is covered in a mound of boulders and earth. [5] This kind of tomb is said to follow the pattern of a Scytho-Iranian tomb in Pazyryk,Russia. [6] The tomb is 47 metres in diameter,157 metres in circumference,and 12.7 metres in height.
The chamber of the tomb contained a lacquered wooden coffin which had burial goods placed around it. [2] A total of 11,500 artifacts were recovered from the tomb. The name of the tomb derives from a famous painting of a white horse which is depicted on a birch bark saddle flap,also referred to as a mud-guard. [6] The horse,a Cheonma (Korean Flying horse),has eight legs and is depicted with wings on its feet. This painting is a rare example of extant Silla painting and indicates a strong influence by the Korean Goguryeo Kingdom. [7] The burial of horse trappings and the sacrifice of a horse with the king shows the importance of horse culture in Silla society and indicates the central role of the king in shamanism practiced by the people. [6] The other side of the saddle flaps depict horsemen and the phoenix. The tomb also yielded many other treasures including a gold crown and a gold girdle,both replete with jade comma-shaped beads. These trappings of royalty indicate that a king was buried in the tomb. Additionally,the fact that the girdle in the Heavenly Horse Tomb is similar to a girdle found in the Gold Crown Tomb and the use of the dragon motif in gold plates which matches treasures in the Baekje King Muryeong also indicate a royal king was interred in the tomb. [6] Besides the crown and girdle,the chamber also held gold bracelets and gold rings for every finger of the buried king. [5] The tomb also contained a chest full of burial goods which including the aforementioned painted saddle flap,and also iron kettles,pottery,bronze vessels,lacquerware,saddles,and a 98 centimeter long sword. [5] [7]
The crown is considered one of the most valuable gold crowns in Silla. It features a large cluster with three branch shaped ornaments and two deer horn shaped ornaments,and it is full of jade and spangles. The crown and cap was made by combining four gold plates decorated with bore patterns. It is believed to have been placed on top of a hat made of birch bark. Various types of patterns were precisely drilled into it to make it beautiful,including the T-charge pattern,the diamond-shaped pattern,and the twisted dragon pattern. [8]
Gobeunok or Gogok are comma-shaped or curved beads and jewels that appeared from middle age of Mumun Period through the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The Gogok is posited by researchers to have been a symbol of prestige among Mumun culture community leaders as the tombs of presumably powerful figures were oftentimes accompanied by bronze daggers, stone daggers, and comma-shaped jewels. The Gogok's role as a symbol of prestige would carry onto the Three Kingdoms Period of Korea (as Gogok would remain a salient feature of Korean royal paraphernalia. They range in size range from 1 to 10 centimetres, and are oftentimes fashioned with a hole to be attached or threaded to another object. The origin of these comma-shaped jewels are posited by some to originate from the dragon-shaped jadeite ornament of the Hongshan culture of the Liao River Basin. However, due to the spatial and temporal distance, most researchers have been skeptical of their genealogical relationship. The generally accepted interpretation in academia is that the form of the comma-shaped jewel originated from the canine teeth of predator animals such as the Magatama of Japan from the late Jōmon period or as a symbol of a half-moon sacred to moon worshippers, or as a symbol of fetus and or fertility.
National Treasure (Korean: 국보) is a national-level designation within the heritage preservation system of South Korea for tangible objects of significant artistic, cultural and historical value. Examples of objects include art, artifacts, sites, or buildings. It is administered by the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA). Additions to the list are decided by the Cultural Heritage Committee.
Korean ceramic history begins with the oldest earthenware from around 8000 BC. Throughout the history, the Korean peninsula has been home to lively, innovative, and sophisticated art making. Long periods of stability have allowed for the establishment of spiritual traditions, and artisan technologies specific to the region. Korean ceramics in Neolithic period have a unique geometric patterns of sunshine, or it is decorated with twists. In Southern part of Korea, Mumun pottery were popular. Mumun togi used specific minerals to make colors of red and black. Korean pottery developed a distinct style of its own, with its own shapes, such as the moon jar or Buncheong sagi which is a new form between earthenware and porcelain, white clay inlay celadon of Goryeo, and later styles like minimalism that represents Korean Joseon philosophers' idea. Many talented Korean potters were captured and brought to Japan during the invasions of Korea, where they heavily contributed to advancing Japanese pottery. Arita ware, founded by Yi Sam-pyeong opened a new era of porcelain in Japan. Another Japanese representative porcelain, Satsuma ware was also founded by Dang-gil Shim and Pyeong-ui Park. 14th generation of Su-kwan Shim have been using the same name to his grandfather and father to honor they are originally Korean, 14th Su-kwan Shim is honorable citizen of Namwon, Korea.
Korean arts include traditions in calligraphy, music, painting and pottery, often marked by the use of natural forms, surface decoration and bold colors or sounds.
Korean architecture refers to an architectural style that developed over centuries in Korea. Throughout the history of Korea, various kingdoms and royal dynasties have developed a unique style of architecture with influences from Buddhism and Korean Confucianism.
The tradition of Korean jade carving dates back to neolithic finds along the Namgang river basin in Gyeongju. Jade rings and accessories made from both nephrite and jadeite were worn by the higher classes of society, especially women, from the three kingdoms period and reached their peak in the Joseon dynasty, the golden age of jadework. Carved jade artifacts found in Silla dynasty tombs appear to be made from jade originating from Japan and Taiwan, suggested sea trade of jade existed prior to the 5th century AD. Korean jadework often includes Buddhist motifs, cicadas, and small peanut-shaped or comma-shaped good luck talismans, as well as larger-scale architectural pieces. A gold crown featuring 58 hanging jade pendants and a gold girdle with 13 jade pendants were both found in the Silla-era tomb of an unknown king, called Cheonmachong, first excavated in 1973.
Hwangnyongsa (Korean: 황룡사), alternatively Hwangnyong Temple or Hwangryongsa, was a Buddhist temple in the city of Gyeongju, South Korea.
Tourism in Gyeongju is a major industry and defining feature of Gyeongju, South Korea. Gyeongju is a major cultural site and tourist destination for South Koreans and foreigners with about 8 to 9 million visitors annually. A great deal of this is due to the city's status as a center of Silla heritage, derived from its former role as the capital of that ancient kingdom.
The crowns of Silla were made in the Korean kingdom of Silla approximately in the 5th–7th centuries.
The Crown of Baekje refers to several artifacts excavated that are believed to be the royal headgear of the kings, queens, and nobility of the Baekje Kingdom. Some of the crowns follow the same tradition as Silla crowns in that they share the tree-motif and the hints of shamanistic traditions. However, the diadems of the kings and queens suggest that Baekje people had a distinct tradition for their royal headgear.
Fujinoki tomb is a tumulus, known as a kofun in Japanese, located in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is estimated to date from the later half of the sixth century or the late seventh century. The burial mound is about 40 or 48 metres in diameter, nine metres in height, and the stone chamber the mound covers is sixteen metres in length. Excavation began in 1985. The tomb yielded gilt-bronze ornaments, horse trappings, and a stone coffin.
The Gold Crown Tomb (Geumgwanchong), is a Silla tumulus located in modern-day Gyeongju, South Korea, the former capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom. Believed to date from the fifth or sixth century CE, the tomb was excavated in 1921. It was the first tomb that was found to contain a gold crown of the Silla royalty, and is still the largest crown excavated thus far. The tomb takes its name from the crown. Over 40,000 other artifacts were recovered from the tomb, including "gold, silver, and bronze vessels, gold and silver weapons, gilt-bronze plate armor, stoneware vessels, 20,000 mainly blue Indo-Pacific beads, and horse fittings."
Several gold girdles of Korea have been excavated. They were symbols of royalty and status, but lesser belts were also worn by governmental officials. These belts have been found in the tombs of Silla and Baekje kings, queens, and the lesser nobility. The lesser girdles can be distinguished based on their size, material, and color. All royal girdles follow a general scheme. The royal girdles are made from pure gold metal plates attached to each other and are adorned with many charms, such as gogok. The symbolism of these charms and their significance has yet been fully ascertained. The practice of wearing girdles probably derives from Chinese traditions. They were generally accessories that were either worn on a crown or pieces of jewellery that symbolized wealth.
The Gyeongju Historic Areas of South Korea were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. The protected areas encompass the ruins of temples and palaces, outdoor pagodas and statuary, and other cultural artifacts left by the Silla Kingdom. The historic areas are sometimes known as one of the largest outdoor museums in the world.
The crowns of Gaya refers to two excavated pieces that are believed to be the headgear of the elite of the Gaya Confederacy. These crowns share the general traditions of Korean crowns, such as the use of diadems, which follows the tradition of the Baekje and the use of headbands with uprights, most notably used in the crowns of Silla. However, the Gaya crowns are obviously distinctive from the traditions of the Silla and Baekje and shows that the Gaya people enjoyed an independent culture.
The Tomb of King Muryeong, also known as Songsan-ri Tomb No. 7, is the ancient tumulus of King Muryeong, who ruled the Baekje from 501 to 523, and his queen. The rarity of intact Baekje tombs makes this one of the major archaeological discoveries in Korea and a crucial source for the understanding of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.
Bunhwangsa is a temple complex from the Old Silla era of Korea. It is located in Gyeongju. The temple is recorded to have been built in 634 under the auspices of Queen Seondeok. Today the temple is still used by a small group of worshipers but in its heyday, the temple covered several acres and was one of the four main temples of the Silla Kingdom used by the state to ask the Buddha to bless the kingdom. The ruins of Hwangnyongsa Temple lay nearby. It is part of the UNESCO world heritage site Gyeongju Historic Areas.
Cheonma or Chonma may refer to:
The Gyerim-ro Dagger and Sheath are ornately decorated treasures that were excavated from an ancient Korean tomb from the Silla Kingdom in 1973. They are understood to originate from the Black Sea area, testifying to the expansiveness of the Silk Road network in the ancient world.
The Watanuke Kannonyama Kofun (綿貫観音山古墳) is a Kofun period burial mound located in the Watanuki neighborhood of the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1973. The site dates from the late 6th Century, and many of the grave goods discovered during archaeological excavation were designated National Important Cultural Properties in 1994 In the year 2020, the collective status of 3346 artifacts from the tomb was raised to that of a National Treasure.
