Hansung Baekje Museum Publishes Excavation Report on Royal Tomb District

'Seoul Seokchon-dong Burial Mounds Volume 4'

The Hansung Baekje Museum announced on the 7th that it has published "Seoul Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster Volume 4 (Ⅳ)," which contains the excavation survey results of the royal tomb district of the Hanseong period of Baekje, the 'Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster.'

The Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster is a historic site preserving the burial grounds of the royal family and nobles of the Hanseong period, including Tomb No. 3, which is presumed to be the tomb of King Geunchogo. Since 2015, the Hansung Baekje Museum has conducted annual excavation surveys, drawing attention when a massive “adjacent stone mound tomb” exceeding 120 meters in length was discovered for the first time. A large amount of cremated human bones was found in the Baekje royal burial grounds, providing a new opportunity to lead research on Baekje funeral culture. In addition, from 2019, a total of four annual reports have been shared, containing information on the structure of 32 points within the stone mound tombs and 1,439 artifacts.

The report released this time is the fourth volume among them. It is filled with information about cultural properties that well represent the characteristics of the Baekje royal burial grounds, such as stone mound tombs built by compacting soil on slopes and stacking stones on top, celadon imported from China, and decorations of arrow cases.

In particular, this report introduces the landscape restoration research process and interim results that academically verify and three-dimensionally revive the distribution of tombs in the Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster during the Baekje period along with natural environments such as terrain and vegetation. This is part of the “Baekje Hanseong Royal Tomb District Landscape Restoration” research project, which has been planned for three years since 2021.

Additionally, in collaboration with a specialized dating institution, the report includes the results of radiocarbon dating of charcoal obtained from the site and the analysis report. This is part of an “interdisciplinary convergence research” that clarifies the nature and dating of the site through collaboration across various fields including archaeology and analytical science. Through this, information on many artifacts such as human bones, pottery, lacquerware, glass beads, and carbonized grains was secured. Future research results will be compiled and shared.

Yoo Byung-ha, director of the Hansung Baekje Museum, said, “It is meaningful to deliver the excavation results of the ‘Seokchon-dong Tumuli Cluster’ to citizens through the publication of this annual report,” and added, “We will continue to reveal the outstanding technology and culture of the Baekje Hanseong period through systematic excavation surveys and cooperation with specialized institutions.”

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