Gyeongju Wolseong Stone Wall Moat Was Two

National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute Discovers Road Between Stone Wall Moat at Wolseong

Exposure to the appropriate depth

The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage announced on the 27th that road remains were confirmed at Wolseong Fortress in Gyeongju (Historic Site No. 16). The discovered site is the No. 1 stone-lined moat (垓子, a water trench dug around a fortress to prevent enemy invasion) on the far left of the northern side of Wolseong, which had previously been considered a single structure. It is an access road connecting Wolseong and Gyerim, measuring less than 5 meters in width.

An official stated, "It was used from the Unified Silla to the Joseon period," adding, "Since it connects to Gyerim, a national ritual space, and the large building site in Hwangnam-dong, it is important as data on the road network linking the royal palace." With the discovery of the road remains, it was determined that the previously thought single stone-lined moat actually consists of two separate structures, named No. 1-1 and No. 1-2 respectively.

Wolseong Investigation Section Location

The institute also confirmed a connection between human sacrifice rituals (人身供犧, the act of offering living humans as sacrifices to deities) and the construction process of the fortress walls in the western wall section. In 2017, two sets of human skeletal remains, estimated to be in their 50s, were found between the foundation layer and the embankment layer of the fortress wall. During this investigation, the institute found traces of alternating layers of soil mixed with various organic materials including rice straw and charcoal, as well as piled soil clumps used in constructing the foundation of the fortress wall. A stone alignment (石列) built by stacking stones in a row inside the fortress wall body was also confirmed.

The institute stated, "Based on the analysis of paleoenvironmental samples related to the western wall construction process and the comprehensive investigation of artifacts, we expect to clarify the construction date of Wolseong Fortress."

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