​

The National Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Cultural Heritage will unveil the excavation site of Yukgyetoseong on Wed., July 27^th at 14:00, since the much disputed earthen fortification, whose field investigation was initiated in March, was confirmed to have been constructed during the early Baekje Period.

* Location :Juwol-ri 107, Jeokseong-myeon, Paju, Gyeonggi-do

Yukgyetoseong Earthen Fortification has always been known as an old castle through literature from Joseon and a map from the Japanese Occupation. Ever since the 1990s, certain areas within this archaeological site have been examined, resulting in discoveries of not only dwellings from Baekje’sHanseong Phase and Baekje pottery, but also Goguryeo pottery, attracting a great amount of attention from the academic circles. However, either the when and who relating to the construction nor the scope and structure of the earthen fortification have not been clearly determined academically so far.

Besides, the need to establish the academic and historical values of archaeological sites in the areas near the Imjingang and Hantangang Rivers including Yukgyetoseong have been constantly emphasized, by reason of insufficient investigations and research opportunities of the unapproachable military areas. Hence the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage concluded the “Cooperative Agreement for Mid to Long Term Academic Investigations of Yukgyetoseong Earthen Fortification” with the city of Paju in July 2021, and carries out yearly excavations. The latest season was focused on the eastern wall and interior area of Yukgyetoseong.

The investigations so far have resulted as following: ▲ Materials that can determine the time of initial construction of the earthen fortress were secured.Panchuk rammed earth technique, similar to that of Pungnaptoseong, Seoul was detected at certain sections of the eastern wall. Fragments of early paddle marked pottery vessels were collected from the panchuk layer. Most importantly, the construction of the earthen fortress revealed to have been between the late 3^rd and early 4^th centuries, according to the results of radiocarbon dating on a charcoal sample extracted from the panchuk layer.

* Radiocarbon dating method :An absolute dating methode using radiocarbon (¹⁴C)

▲ Construction methods representative of early Baekje fortresses were disclosed. Both earth heaping and panchukmethods were used for the construction of Yukgyetoseong Earthen Fortress. First, an earthen dike that constituted the innermost part of the earth pile which was then filled with dirt, and parts of the exterior facade were adjusted with panchuk. The main panchuk section was recovered from the area presumed to be the eastern gate. 3.2~3.5(m) units of alternating dark brown clay and yellowish brown sandy soil constituted the central part, but the edges were adjusted and/or finished by earth heaping. YukgyetoseongEarthen Fortification, Paju revealed to have a considerable amount of similarities to Pungnaptoseong, Seoul, but also its original authentic aspects.

* panchuk : is a typical ancient engineering / construction technique for building plinths and alike of walls, fences and buildings, for which a framework is alternatingly filled with soils and/or sands of diverse attributes, which are then rammed (tamped) with bats or rammers until they are firm.

* Earth heaping :often refers to heaping soil and building it up. This is the most common way of building earthen walls, piling the soil from immediate periphery up to a certain height and finishing by paddling to realize a uniform structure throughout the entire architecture.

The latest investigation of Yukgyetoseong, Paju provided opportunities for fresh perspectives on construction techniques of early Baekje castles, alongside Pungnaptoseong and Mongchontoseong, Seoul. It is hoped that various data about the development patterns of Baekje’s castle construction methods and by extension cultural aspects around Baekje’s expansion to the Imjingang and Hantangang region would be concluded.

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage of Cultural Heritage Administration will continue to further inquire into the structure and interior operation systems of Yukgyetoseong Earthen Fortification through the academic exploration on the interior area of the eastern wall and presumed inner wall late this year, and actively disseminate the results to the public.

Division: Research Division of Archaelogy, National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

Contact person: JEON Yongho(82-42-860-9171), HONG Balkeum(82-42-860-9182)