Hapcheon-gun Holds Academic Conference on Designation of Gaya Relic 'Samga Burial Mounds' as National Historic Site

Held Under the Theme of Another Gaya, Samga (三嘉) in Hapcheon

Panoramic view of Hapcheon-gun Samga Ancient Tomb Complex Da-M69,70 Tombs (Photo by Hapcheon-gun)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongnam announced on the 1st that it will hold an online academic conference via a YouTube channel on the 5th, hosted by the Gyeongnam Research Institute, to reexamine the historical and academic value of the representative Gaya tomb site, ‘Hapcheon Samga Burial Mounds,’ and to secure the justification for its designation as a national historic site.

The Samga Burial Mounds were designated as Gyeongsangnam-do Monument No. 8 (designated on February 16, 1974), and a precise surface survey confirmed the presence of 328 burial mounds.

In academia, it is evaluated as a large-scale Gaya tumulus group centered on the Sogaya power that grew through cultural exchanges via the Nam River, comparable to neighboring regions’ Haman Malyisan Burial Mounds (historic site), Goryeong Jisandong Burial Mounds (historic site), and others.

Fortunately, along with previous excavation achievements, recent excavations of large tombs such as M24, M69-70, and M52 confirmed evidence of exchanges with Silla, Baekje, and various Gaya states, as well as the originality of construction techniques.

Through this, it is attracting attention as an important site that can prove another Gaya power within the Hapcheon area besides the Okjeon Burial Mounds (historic site), and based on these achievements, the academic conference will be held.

This academic conference will proceed under the theme ‘Another Gaya of Hapcheon, Samga (三嘉),’ featuring academic paper presentations and discussions.

Four papers reviewing the historic value of the Samga Burial Mounds through excavation results and comparative studies among Silla, Baekje, and Gaya burial mounds will be presented, and the comprehensive discussion will be chaired by Professor Emeritus Cho Young-je of Gyeongsang National University.

A county official stated, “We have been working for a long time to designate the Samga Burial Mounds as a national historic site, and together with the province, we are now on the threshold of upgrading its status to a national historic site,” adding, “We plan to actively use the results of this academic conference as supplementary materials for the application report for the Samga Burial Mounds’ historic site status upgrade.”

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