Three Royal Tombs in Bae-dong, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.219

Category

유적지

Era

신라시대

Designated year

1971

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 배동 73-1번지

Coordinates

35.797435, 129.209084

The three royal tombs, called Baedongsamneung (literally; three tombs of Bae-dong), are located on the lower west edge of Namsan mountain, Bae-dong, Gyeongju. The dead buried here are presumed to be the 8th king of the Silla Dynasty, King Adalla, the 53rd, King Sindeok, and the 54th, King Gyeongmyeong. While they are all said to have had the surname Park, there are not any documentary records making clear who the occupants of three tombs are, moreover the gap between the time of King Adalla’s rule and those of King Sindeok and King Gyeongmyeong is about 700 years so the likelihood that they all had surname Park may be hard to believe. Also, some experts believe there would not have been such a large royal tomb in the earlier days of the Silla Dynasty. All the tombs are circular in shape and made of of clay. The middle one, the tomb of King Sindeok, was robbed twice, in 1953 and 1963, and according to research findings, its style is that of a stone chamber tomb. The decoration partly colored lacquer on each of the east and west walls as if to make stone walls look like folding screens. It is a very noteworthy site in spite of not being typical, having pictures of inside walls, since these were the first Silla Dynasty tombs to be discovered in Gyeongju, and the first to be excavated never seen before. The colors on the walls are red, yellow, white, navy blue and soft blue.

Location