Building Stone Walls to Manage Horses... First Discovery of Traces of 'Salgoti Mokjangseong'

Reality of Achasan Jangseong Confirmed Through Trial Excavation
Stone Wall Structure Matches Records in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage's National Seoul Cultural Heritage Research Institute announced on the 22nd that traces of 'Salgoti Mokjangseong' were confirmed during a trial excavation aimed at identifying the reality of the Achasan Jangseong in Seoul.

'Jinheonma Jeongsaekdo' included in the 'Mokjangjido' [Photo by National Library of Korea]

Salgoti Mokjangseong was a state-run horse ranch managed by the Saboksi, the office responsible for matters related to horses and carts during the Joseon Dynasty. It had been estimated to be located around Dongdaemun-gu, Jungnang-gu, Seongdong-gu, and Gwangjin-gu in Seoul based on the drawings included in the 'Mokjang Jido (牧場地圖)' such as 'Jinheon Majungsaekdo (進獻馬正色圖)' and 'Saboksi Salgoti Mokjang Jido (司僕寺箭串牧場圖)'. The Mokjang Jido, designated as a treasure, is a collection of maps from the Joseon era depicting ranches distributed nationwide.

The institute tracked the traces of Achasan Jangseong over a two-month period starting from November last year within a section of Seoul Children's Grand Park. Achasan Jangseong was a fortress constructed along the ridges of Achasan in Gwangjin-gu and Baebongsan in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. It surrounded Salgotibeol, a field formed around the Jungnangcheon area.

The status and distribution of this site, first reported by Japanese scholars, are recorded in reports such as the 'Taisho 5th Year Ancient Site Survey Report (大正五年度古蹟調査報告, 1916)' and the 'Dokdo Vicinity Baekje Era Site Survey Brief Report (纛島附近百濟時代遺蹟調査略報告, 1919)'. Although there was controversy over whether it was a Baekje-era fortress, no investigation had been conducted, so its exact nature remained unknown.

Traces of 'Salgoti Mokjangseong' found in the section between Achasan Jangseong and Children's Grand Park in Seoul
[Photo by National Heritage Administration]

In March last year, the institute conducted a trial excavation at two locations of the fortress walls identified through surface surveys, confirming for the first time the reality of Salgoti Mokjangseong, which appears in Joseon-era maps and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. The remaining height of the fortress wall is 3 meters, with a width of 11 meters. It was constructed mainly with an earthen embankment (土築部) compacted with soil, with some stone masonry added on top.

An institute official explained, "The earthen fortress wall was first built utilizing the natural terrain and then reinforced by adding layers more than once. In the final stage, a stone wall was constructed on the inner side of the fortress to prevent horses inside the ranch from escaping."

Achasan Section of Seoul Achasan Jangseong [Photo by National Heritage Administration]

This corresponds with the record in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, Myeongjong 10th year (1555), which states, "During the rainy season, the earthen fortress walls would collapse, causing horses to escape. After building a stone fortress on one side, the incidents of horses escaping decreased." The institute official added, "Pottery shards and porcelain fragments from the Joseon period were found near the base of the fortress wall and the stone masonry, allowing us to estimate the construction period of the fortress walls."

Due to the nature of the trial excavation, the overall appearance of Salgoti Mokjangseong was not revealed. However, it is considered significant as the first archaeological attempt to identify its reality. The National Intangible Heritage Center stated, "We will continue to support investigations and research in the surrounding areas."

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