Sacrificial Victim Buried with Legs Spread Revealed After 1,600 Years

Human Remains Discovered in Subsidiary Coffin of Gyeongju Hwangnam-dong Wooden Tomb
"Silla's Power Hierarchy Completed Through Death"

Unlike the owner who was buried in an extended posture, the sacrificial victim in Gyeongju Hwangnam-dong Tomb No. 1 was buried in a diagonal position with legs spread apart.

1,600 years ago, a young general from Silla's highest social class passed away. The attendant who served him was required to die as well, in order to continue serving his master in the afterlife. The attendant’s body was placed in a subsidiary coffin, a cramped space used for storing grave goods, where it was impossible to lie straight.

On October 20, the National Heritage Administration made public for the first time the "Wooden Coffin Tomb No. 1 in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju." During the excavation, human remains were found in the subsidiary coffin, buried with legs spread apart. It is presumed that this individual was a retainer of the Silla general resting in the main coffin, sacrificed to accompany him in death. A single gold earring remained on the head.

“The body was laid diagonally, with arms outstretched and legs spread in an 'O' shape,” explained Lee Minhyeong, team leader at the Silla Cultural Heritage Research Institute.

This is the first time the actual bones of a sacrificial victim have been identified. According to the Samguk Sagi, the custom of human sacrifice existed in Silla, but it was banned during the reign of King Jijeung (500-514). Until now, no actual human remains had been found, as the bones had all decayed and disappeared.

The tomb’s owner was no exception; only teeth and a few bone fragments remained. However, the sacrificial victim was buried above horse armor, which allowed the oxidized iron to combine with the bones, preserving the remains. Due to the poor preservation, however, it was not possible to accurately determine the gender or age at death.

Armor and helmet of a person excavated from the secondary coffin of Wooden Coffin Tomb No. 1 in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju

Kim Heonseok, curator at the National Gyeongju Institute of Cultural Heritage, described the sacrificial burial as “evidence of a planned death.” “The subsidiary coffin was dug out in advance, grave goods were arranged, and in the final stage, the sacrificial victim was placed inside. The evidence is clear. However, because the space was so cramped, a fully extended burial was impossible, resulting in the diagonal position with legs spread. While the sacrifice itself was planned, the exact location and manner of burial may have been decided later.”

This suggests that, due to lack of space, the body was wedged between the grave goods. For this reason, it was judged to be a post-mortem sacrifice, not a live burial. In other words, the person was already dead before being placed in the tomb, rather than being buried alive. Kim Heonseok emphasized the significance: “Being buried with legs spread is not simply a matter of body position, but a clue to how that society dealt with death.”

The tomb was constructed between the late 4th and early 5th centuries. The main occupant was a man in his early 30s, buried with parts of a gilt-bronze crown and a large sword. He is believed to have been a commander of Silla’s heavy cavalry. Lee Minhyeong explained, “Considering the presence of a gilt-bronze crown decorated with early Silla patterns, lightweight armor worn by high-ranking commanders, horse armor, a pair of gold earrings, and a large sword, it is highly likely that this individual held a very high military status.”

Excavation of grave goods and sacrificial human bones from the subsidiary coffin of Wooden Coffin Tomb No. 1 in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju

The fact that a sacrificial victim was buried alongside the tomb’s owner demonstrates that the hierarchy between master and retainer continued even after death. In this context, death functioned not as the end of an individual, but as a means of maintaining social order. Sim Hyeoncheol, professor of history at Keimyung University, interpreted this as “a symbolic scene revealing the true nature of Silla’s power structure.” He added, “While historical records mention the prohibition of human sacrifice, there have been almost no actual cases. This excavation is the first empirical example of sacrificial burial, and it is significant in that it visually demonstrates how power relations were enacted through funerary rites.”

Ultimately, sacrificial burial was a tool of governance for the Silla ruling class. When the master died, the subordinate was buried as well, thereby completing the power hierarchy through death. Though they lay in the same tomb 1,600 years ago, one was the master, and the other was the object of ritual. The remnants of this order still remain in the soil today.

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