Daereungwon () is a complex of

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

-era

tumuli A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

tombs in

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

, South Korea. Since 2011, it has been a designated Historic Site of South Korea. The site is now a popular tourist attraction; in 2023 it was reported that it had around 1 million visitors on average per year.

Description

The complex contains 23 tombs of kings, queens, and nobles from the Silla period. The tombs were first excavated during the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period. The tomb

Geumgwanchong Geumgwanchong () is a Silla-era tumulus in modern-day Gyeongju, South Korea. Gyeongju was the capital of Silla. Believed to date from the fifth or sixth century CE, the tomb was excavated in 1921. It was the first tomb that was found to contain ...

was excavated in 1921, Geumnyeongchong in 1924, Singnichong in 1924, and Seobongchong in 1926. After the 1945

liberation of Korea Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

, Houchong was excavated in 1946,

Machong Machong (), sometimes mispronounced Mayong, is a town under the jurisdiction of the prefecture-level city of Dongguan in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province, China. It is located at the northwest corner of Dongguan's administration a ...

in 1953, and Ssangsangchong in 1963, and

Cheonmachong Cheonmachong (), formerly Tomb No. 155, is a tumulus located in Gyeongju, South Korea. It is located inside the tomb complex Daereungwon. History This tomb was built in the style of Silla. Excavation of the tomb began on April 16, 1973 and is ...

in 1973. Most tombs have their coffin below the ground level. Some have coffins semi or above the ground level. Stones were piled on top of the coffin, and then earth was piled on top of that. The sturdy construction of the tombs made them difficult for looters to access, which allowed for many of their relics to be well-preserved to the present. A number of relics have been designated

National Treasures A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...

. Artifacts have continued to be excavated. In 2020, a pair of ceremonial

gilt-bronze Ormolu (; ) is the gilding technique of applying finely ground, high-carat gold– mercury amalgam to an object of bronze, and objects finished in this way. The mercury is driven off in a kiln, leaving behind a gold coating. The French refer to ...

shoes dated to the late 5th and early 6th centuries was discovered in the complex. The area is now a popular tourist attraction. In 2023, it was reported that there are light shows in the evening during which images are projected onto the tombs. Projections also explain their history.

Gallery

File:Photocapy1.jpg, People walking near one of the tombs (2006) File:대릉원2.jpg, A lake in the complex (2019)

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Daereungwon
Tourist information
(in English) Tourist attractions in Gyeongju Tumuli in Gyeongju Tombs of Silla Historic Sites of South Korea Gyeongju Historic Areas