Glass Beads with Inlaid Design from Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.634

Category

Craft

Era

신라시대(5∼6세기)

Designated year

1978

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 일정로 186, 국립경주박물관 (인왕동,국립경주박물관)

Coordinates

35.829387, 129.227912

This jade necklace with inlaid glass balls was found in tumulus No. 4, area C of the Tomb of King Michu in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju. The diameter of the glass balls is 1.8cm. Roughly about 8 kinds of jade were used in the necklace. It was severely damaged at the time of excavation, but the present form was retrieved on the basis of this impaired piece. Although jade pieces are quite frequently excavated from Silla tumuli, this is the first inlaid work of glass balls to be unearthed. 16 ducks swimming among waterweeds and a person's face are elaborately inlaid with various colors on the surface of the spherical glass jade which is only 1.8 cm in diameter. It is not certain where the glass jade was manufactured, but the face inlaid on it does not look like that ofa native of Silla. The manufacturing skill is amazing and the proportionate use of colors along with the skill completes a true masterpiece. King Michu was the thirteenth king of Silla. He acceded to the throne in 262 and reigned for 23 years until 284. The Tomb of King Michu is otherwise called Jukjangneung (Tomb of Bamboo Soldiers) or Jukhyeonneung (Tomb where Bamboo Soldiers Appeared). Samguk sagi or ‘The History of the Three Kingdoms’ tells about the legendary origin of this name. In 297 (the 14th year of Michu’s son, King Yuri’s reign), Iseogoguk (a nearby tribal nation) invaded Geumseong, the capital of Silla. Soldiers of the Silla Kingdom went out to meet their enemy but could not fend them off. At the critical moment a host of soldiers appeared. Their numbers were countless and all of them had bamboo leaves stuck behind their ears. They fought together with the soldiers of Silla, defeated the enemy, and then disappeared. Afterwards somebody noticed a heap of bamboo leaves on King Michu’s Tomb and this led people to say that the dead Michu had helped Silla with his secret army.

Location