The Reconfirmation of the Ancient Royal Tombs

 in Songsan-ri, Gongju
- Identification of the forgotten Tomb No. 29

since the Japanese Colonial Era (year 1933) -

The Buyeo National Institute of Cultural Heritage (Director of Research Institute Hwang Yin Ho) and the city of Gongju (Mayor Kim Jeong Sup) commenced an official excavation of the Ancient Tombs, starting with an ancestral memorial ceremony for the Ancient Tombs in Songsan-ri, Gongju, on March 19th. Tomb No.29 had initially been investigated during the Japanese colonial period, but no details regarding its location and condition were known up until now.

* Excavation Site: Range of 51, Ungin-dong, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do (Tomb No. 29)

The Ancient Tombs in Songsan-ri (a historic site), also known as the Baekjae Woong-jin period’s Royal Tombs, currently house a total of 7 tombs, including the Tomb of King Muryong. Although previous research indicated reports of several more existing tombs, most of their exact locations were not known. This excavation was the first investigation of the Ancient Tombs in Songsan-ri, which are a part of the Buyeo National Institute of Culture Heritage’s longterm research plans for the main Baekjae cultural remains (′21. 2.). The investigation area included the large southern maintenance area nearby Tomb 29.

Through this excavation, Tomb 29 was discovered approximately 10m southwest of Tomb 6. The ceiling and the upper part of the Tomb 29 were all lost, but the lower part remained well. Tomb 29 is a stone chamber tomb with a tunnel entrance comprised of the main chamber (玄 室), the tomb entrance passage (羨道), and the grave entrance (墓道). The tomb size is fairly large at 340~350cm from north to south and 200~260cm from east to west, and it is presumed to be a royal tomb, as it is not only similar in size to tombs 1~4, but also larger than Tomb 6. The main chamber was built with stacked stones and plastered with cement on the inside. The flooring was constructed with diagonally-placed bricks, in the same structure as the Tomb of King Muryong and Tomb 6. There are two coffin-platform, brick on the floor; the east coffin-platform (approx. 250㎝) is larger than the west coffin-platform (approx. 170㎝). The main chamber entrance is closed off by a brick wall. The tomb entrance passage was constructed by leaning on the east side of the main chamber, and the main chamber’s floors were made with bricks laid out like the main chamber. The grave entrance is mostly lost and only has about 2.2m remaining, and at the point where the grave entrance begins, a part of the drains made of bricks were confirmed.

* main chamber (玄室): the room where the corpse is placed

* tomb entrance passage (羨道): the road leading from the tomb entrance to the room where the corpse is placed * grave entrance (墓道): the road leading from the grave entrance to the room where the corpse is placed

* platform for coffin (棺臺): a flat, low platform for placing the coffin in the tomb

Tomb 29 features the same style as Tombs 1~5 in the sense that it is structurally a stone chamber, but it can be seen that Tomb 29 was influenced by the Tomb of King Muryeong and Tomb 6 in terms of the use of bricks on floors and coffin-platform. Through this investigation, we will be able to further determine the construction methods and the ranking of the tombs. In addition, This excavation was also carried out in consideration of digital recordings, VR filming, and 3D modeling for restoration purposes.

Starting with the excavation of Tomb 29, the Buyeo National Institute of Cultural Heritage has been discovering long-forgotten tombs one by one, and the organization aims to restore the Ancient Tombs’ status as the Baekjae royal tomb site. Furthermore, the Buyeo National Institute of Cultural Heritage will plan to research on the restoration of funeral of the Baekjae Woongjin period royal tomb’s and hold an on-site presentation during the Baekjae Cultural Heritage Week (7.8.~7.14.) for the general public.

Department in Charge: Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage

Person in Charge: Researcher Yoo Eun Sik (041-830-5640) Researcher Kim Hwan Hee (041-830-5611)