Hansung Baekje Museum Publishes Report on Excavation Results of Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster

Publication of 'Seoul Seokchon-dong Burial Mounds III'
Annual volumes published since 2019... Includes survey results of 24 tombs and 1,133 artifacts

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Hanseong Baekje Museum has published "Seoul Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster III," which contains the excavation survey results of the royal tomb area of the Baekje Hanseong period, the 'Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster,' and is distributing it to academia and citizens.

According to the Hanseong Baekje Museum on the 9th, the Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster is a historic site preserving the royal and noble burial grounds of the Baekje Hanseong period, including Tomb No. 3, which is presumed to be the tomb of King Geunchogo. Since the excavation survey began in 2015 with permission from the Cultural Heritage Administration, an ultra-large (length 125m, width 60m) 'adjacent stone mound tomb' was discovered for the first time, and annual excavation surveys have been ongoing.

The Hanseong Baekje Museum, responsible for the excavation, has been conducting excavation surveys and report writing simultaneously to promptly share the excavation results with citizens and provide research materials. Up to last year, a total of three annual reports have been published, containing information on 24 relic structures and 1,133 artifacts.

The excavation team has continuously promoted interdisciplinary convergence research that interprets the site by conducting detailed analysis of excavated artifacts in collaboration with specialized institutions in Reports I and II. As a result, they secured information on many artifacts such as human bones, pottery, lacquerware, glass beads, and carbonized grains. In particular, regarding the human bones, cross-analysis by experts in paleopathology, forensic science, and conservation science from Seoul National University, Catholic University, and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage clarified the fact of cremation and the cremation temperature, which was introduced.

This newly released report also includes two important research achievements. Researchers from the Conservation Science Laboratory of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage succeeded in analyzing the lacquer layer on the surface of black polished pottery. The pottery was shaped and fired in a reducing atmosphere, then lacquered on the surface to create a gloss. This was the first time the secret of the gloss of black polished pottery, a representative artifact of the Baekje Hanseong period, was uncovered.

Additionally, in collaboration with the Conservation Science Department of the National Museum of Korea, research results detailing the sophisticated manufacturing techniques of gold earrings and moon-shaped ornaments are included. These gold earrings consist of a round ring with a chain hanging down and bead-shaped decorations attached, and are among the earliest gold products of Baekje. Using advanced equipment such as Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), CT, and X-ray imaging, non-destructive analysis was conducted to identify the manufacturing techniques.

In particular, traces of making bead-shaped decorations by soldering two hemispherical gold plates, the shape of two strands of gold wire spread at the hole to hang the beads, and marks where small tweezers gripped the gold wire were revealed, uncovering minute manufacturing techniques invisible to the naked eye.

Yoo Byung-ha, director of the Hanseong Baekje Museum, stated, "We will continue to reveal the outstanding technology and culture of the Baekje Hanseong period through systematic excavation surveys and closer collaboration with specialized institutions in various fields," adding, "We will also faithfully publish excavation survey reports and continue efforts to share the world heritage value of the Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster."

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