Tomb of King Heondeok, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.29

Category

유적지

Era

통일신라시대

Designated year

1963

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 동천동 80번지

Coordinates

35.843743, 129.244717

This is presumed to be the tomb of King Heondeok, the 41st monarch of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). During his reign, King Heondeok (809-826), who had taken the throne from his nephew, King Aejang, built a long fortress wall outside Pyeongyang to defend the northern border while maintaining good diplomatic relations with the Tang Dynasty. He subdued two revolts, one of which was led by Kim Heonchang and the other by Kim Beommun, against the throne. The tomb consists of a round earthen mound reinforced with well-dressed flat stones around the bottom. Stones carved with the 12 zodiac figures are fitted between the reinforcing stones, providing symbolic safeguards for the tomb. Only five signs -- Hae (Pig), Ja (Rat), Chuk (Cow), In (Tiger), and Myo (Rabbit) -- among the twelve remain, however. This kind of tomb construction emerged after Silla's unification of the peninsula in 668. The current tomb was repaired in 1970.

Location