The Path to the Afterlife Shines Bright... Massive Discovery of Silla Gold and Silver Artifacts

Large-Scale Discovery of 6th Century Jewelry at Gyeongju Hwangnam-dong Tomb No. 120
Body Found Wearing Items "First Confirmation of Deceased Wearing Shoes"

In a Silla tomb, a gilt-bronze crown and gold ornaments (gold decorations), gold earrings, a chest pendant, a silver belt, silver bracelets, bead bracelets, and silver rings were discovered on the deceased in their worn state.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 3rd that a large number of accessories made in the early 6th century were excavated from Tomb No. 120 in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju, which has been under investigation since May 2018. The artifacts were unearthed from Tomb No. 120-2, constructed by destroying the mound of Tomb No. 120 in Hwangnam-dong. The deceased was buried wearing a gilt-bronze crown and gilt-bronze shoes. This is the first time that a deceased wearing shoes has been confirmed in a stone-cist tomb (jeokseok mokgwakmyo) in Gyeongju.

This excavation is the result of a detailed investigation of gilt-bronze shoes and parts of gilt-bronze danggae (pendants) discovered on May 27 in the burial chamber (the place where the body was located). The gilt-bronze crown was found on the head of the deceased. It is the most ornate gilt-bronze crown excavated so far in Gyeongju. On the crown band (a circular band designed to wear the crown on the head), three branch-shaped and two deer antler-shaped upright decorations (nokgak-type standing ornaments) are attached. The crown band has inverted heart-shaped decorative holes, and on both sides, there are gold danggae made of curved jade (gok-ok) and gold beads. Between the crown band and the upright decorations, there is a perforated openwork plate with ‘ㅜ’ and ‘ㅗ’ patterns. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “Traces of the openwork plate are also partially confirmed on the upper part of the upright decorations,” adding, “We will clarify through further investigation whether it is a crown cap or a decorative item.”

Below the gilt-bronze crown, a pair of thick gold hoop earrings and a chest pendant made by stringing four rows of dark blue beads were confirmed. Below that were a silver belt, four silver bracelets tied in bundles, and silver rings. On the surface of the right arm bracelet, more than 500 yellow beads about 1 mm in size were excavated. It is presumed that the deceased wore a bead bracelet made of small beads together with the silver bracelet. Five silver rings were found on the right hand and one on the left hand. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “Since the left hand area is not fully exposed, more silver rings may be found in additional investigations. The deceased may have worn rings on every finger, like the occupant of Cheonmachong.” The gilt-bronze shoes have alternating ‘ㅜ’ and ‘ㅗ’ shaped patterns pierced on the front panel. The back panel is finished with a plain square plate without patterns. This is similar in form to gilt-bronze shoes excavated from the Tap-ri tomb in Uiseong in 1960.

The investigation team estimated the height of the accessory owner to be around 170 cm, considering the length from the center of the gilt-bronze crown to the heel of the gilt-bronze shoes is 176 cm. Through scientific analysis, they plan to reveal the gender and various personal details of the deceased. Additionally, they intend to investigate new types of artifacts not previously seen to stimulate diverse discussions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.