Gyeongju Wolseong Ingol is a Sacrificial Offering for Silla Fortress Rituals

Two Adult Male and Female Skeletons in Their 50s Discovered Along with an Additional Adult Female Skeleton
"Evidence of Human Sacrifice Ceremony Before Building City Walls"
Construction Date Mid-4th Century "Showcases Outstanding Civil Engineering Skills"

Wolseong in Gyeongju is an ancient site where the Silla royal fortress once stood. Excavations have been ongoing for seven years since the Gaetoje (Groundbreaking Ceremony) began in December 2014. Scholars show extraordinary interest in the western gate area. This is because in 2017, two skeletons of men and women in their 50s, approximately 160 cm tall, along with four pieces of pottery, were discovered. It attracted attention as a case of human sacrifice (Inshingonghui) where Silla offered people as offerings and then constructed fortress walls over them.

On the 7th, the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage announced that they had additionally confirmed one adult female skeleton and animal bones at this site. Unlike the previous two skeletons, this skeleton was wearing a necklace and bracelet made of glass beads shaped like curved jade. The height is estimated to be about 135 cm. The animal bones were identified as ribs from large mammals such as horses and cattle.

The institute explained, "It can be understood that the human sacrifice ceremony was conducted hoping that the fortress walls and gate would be solidly constructed before the massive construction of the Wolseong foundation was completed." They added, "During trial excavations in 1985 and 1990, more than twenty unidentified skeletons were found about 10 meters northwest of this location," and "These are also believed to have been buried in connection with the fortress wall construction process."

This investigation also revealed the construction period and civil engineering techniques of Wolseong. According to the Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa, the construction date of Wolseong is the 22nd year of King Pasa (101 AD). However, comprehensive artifact surveys and Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating?which measures carbon in wood and organic materials to determine past ages?indicate that the construction period was from the mid-4th century to the early 5th century, about 250 years later.

The fortress construction incorporated various civil engineering techniques. To reinforce the soft ground, two preliminary methods were applied to the fortress wall foundation work. These were the Jijung (地釘) method, which involved driving wooden stakes at regular intervals, and the Buyup (敷葉) method, layering wood and plant materials. For the main body construction (Cheseongbu), materials such as rice straw, clay lumps, and building wall fragments were used. The fortress walls are estimated to be about 40 meters wide and 10 meters high. The institute stated, "This allows us to envision the Silla people's outstanding civil engineering skills and the grandeur of the royal fortress at that time."

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