Tomb of King Heongang, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.187

Category

유적지

Era

통일신라 헌강왕

Designated year

1969

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 남산동 산55번지

Coordinates

35.802205, 129.240097

This is the tomb where King Heongang, the 49th king of Silla who reigned from 875 to 886, is buried. As the son of King Gyeongmun and the husband of Lady Uimyeong, he led the country in a reign of peace. The country was so stable and peaceful that history records say that the streets were always filled with joyful chant, and that the Dynasty in Japan presented gold. This ground mound is covered with clay. With height of 4.2 m and diameter of 15.3 m, it has four layers of stone circle around the bottom circumference to protect the inside of the tomb. It was robbed before long and was found to have kept the grave in a square room with a domed ceiling. The entrance to the tomb is connected with the room with the grave and is shaped like "ㄱ," the consonant of Hangeul. Pottery with flower design was also discovered from the tomb. This tomb is the first Silla royal tomb that applied the method of protecting the tomb by piling stone into four layers. The same method is applied to the tomb of the successor of King Heongang, King Jeonggang. The inner structure and the pottery from the tomb are different from those before the 9th century, revealing the uniqueness of the style of tomb construction of the 9th century.

Location