Gold Crown Tomb

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Gold Crown Tomb
geumgwanconggeumgwan.jpg
A gold crown excavated from Geumgwanchong tomb. National Treasures of South Korea No. 87
Korean name
Hangul
금관총
Hanja
金冠塚
Revised Romanization Geumgwanchong
McCune–Reischauer Kŭmgwanch'ong
King Isaji's scabbard, also found in the Geumgwanchong Tomb. Four Chinese characters, Er Si Zhi Wang , meaning 'King Isaji', are seen under the magnifier. Korea Geumgwangchong King Isaji 03 (14461516988).jpg
King Isaji's scabbard, also found in the Geumgwanchong Tomb. Four Chinese characters, 尒斯智王, meaning ‘King Isaji’, are seen under the magnifier.

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. [1] 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." [1] [2]

Silla Old kingdom of Korea

Silla was a kingdom located in southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of Korea.

Tumulus Mound of earth and stones raised over graves

A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or kurgans, and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built for various purposes, may also originally have been a tumulus.

Gyeongju Municipal City in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea

Gyeongju, historically known as Seorabeol, is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering 1,324 km2 (511 sq mi) with a population of 264,091 people Gyeongju is 370 km (230 mi) southeast of Seoul, and 55 km (34 mi) east of Daegu. The city borders Cheongdo and Yeongcheon to the west, Ulsan to the south and Pohang to the north, while to the east lies the coast of the Sea of Japan. Numerous low mountains—outliers of the Taebaek range—are scattered around the city.

Contents

The diameter of the tomb is 45 m and the height is 12 m. Such stone mounded tombs only existed in the Shinar Era. It is believed that the tomb was varnished and lacquered. The structure of the tomb and the Buddhist influence suggest that it was built after the reign of King Jijeung. This would place the date around the 6th century, which was before the Unified Silla period. The Gold Crown Tomb has one burial mound, and the structure is simple and does not contain a special artifacts room.

Buddhism World religion, founded by the Buddha

Buddhism is the world's fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies. It originated in ancient India as a Sramana tradition sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, spreading through much of Asia. Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravada and Mahayana.

Jijeung of Silla (437–514) was the 22nd ruler of the Korean kingdom of Silla. He is remembered for strengthening royal authority and building Silla into a centralized kingdom.

Later Silla Former country

Later Silla or Unified Silla is the name often applied to the Korean kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after it conquered Baekje and Goguryeo in the 7th century, unifying the central and southern regions of the Korean peninsula.

Excavation of the tomb

The artifacts were found in the process of construction work in the backyard of a private house in 1921. Surveying started immediately and Japanese interest in Silla tumuli rose with the beginning the excavation. As a result, other large tombs, such as GeumRyungChong and SeaBongChong, were discovered.

Japan Island country in East Asia

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.

Artifacts discovered

Gold and silver belt ornaments were excavated at the same time as the Gold Crown. They were made with a thin band of either gold or silver and had 17 pendants in various shapes. The silver belt ornaments have a similar design as those excavated in Baekje Royal Tomb, indicating contact between Silla and Baekje in the later half of the 5th century.

Baekje Old kingdom of Korea

Baekje was a kingdom located in southwestern Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla.

The vessels were made of gold and silver, gold and bronze alloying, and gold and bronze. In addition, pots with four corners and Korean traditional caldrons made of cast iron were inscribed with delicate engraving that showed relations with Goguryeo at the time. A bronze tripod pouring vessel is possibly of Chinese import. [3] The working class of the time were unlikely to have used metal vessels and these vessels indicate the high quality of life of the Silla ruling class.

Goguryeo Former kingdom of Korea

Goguryeo, also called Goryeo, was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Manchuria. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most of the Korean peninsula, large parts of Manchuria and parts of the Russian Far East and eastern Mongolia.

Weapons found included gold and silver swords and gold and bronze helmets and armor.

A golden girdle found in the tomb is another important symbol of royalty and is only found in royal tombs. The girdle is about two metres in length, and is made up of 39 plaques, with various charms dangling from the main belt. [3]

The golden crown found in this tomb is notable for its intricate open metal-work inner cap containing images of bird wings, which is symbolic of shamanistic practices. [3] The ornamentation of the crown is simple and balanced and features heart, fish scales, and diamond T shapes. A diadem ornament features an image of a bird about to fly. On the wings of the crown, a dragon pattern is engraved.

See also

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Crown of Baekje

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Tomb of the General burial tomb of King of Goguryeo, located in Jian, China

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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.

References

  1. 1 2 Rutt (1999), p.145
  2. ↑ Francis. (2002), p.47
  3. 1 2 3 Nelson, (1993) pp.249-257


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