Ancient Tomb in Yonggang-dong, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.328

Category

유적지

Era

7c후반~8c전반

Designated year

1989

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 용강동 1130-2번지 3필

Coordinates

35.861415, 129.224338

It is the tomb in the center of the dry field located in Yonggang-dong, Gyeongju and was excavated by the Excavation & Investigation Team of Gyeongju Relics in 1986, based on which the features of the tomb were known. Considering the structure of the inside, it is a stone chamber tomb with tunnel entrances with a stone chamber inside. It was impaired due to robbery, but various earthenware pieces, clay mortuary figurine, and bronze statues of twelve zodiac animal deities were discovered. The 12~21㎝-long clay mortuary figurine consists of a civil minister statue with a tablet and a military minister statue and a woman statue. Parts of them are colored in red ink. The costumes that they wear represent the dress styles in Silla. The mortuary figurine suggests that the figurine had been put into the grave since burying alive with the dead was prohibited. The bronze statues of twelve zodiac animal deities are appropriately arranged matching the direction of each statue, drawing attention because the figurine was discovered in a tomb of the Tang Dynasty of China. The tombstone with the record carved on the tomb was not excavated; thus, it is impossible to check the buried person and the corresponding age. The discovered remains – the tomb of a noble – enabled estimating that it has been made in the Age of Unified Silla from the end of the 7th Century to the early 8th Century. The excavated mortuary figurine and the bronze statues of twelve zodiac animal deities inside the tomb were discovered for the first time in our country, opening a new stage of research for the tomb in Silla. This serves as important material on the cultural exchange between Silla and Tang as well as for research on the history of dress style in the Unified Silla.

Location