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Gyeongju, Korea
The Gyeongju Tumuli Park holds about two dozen Silla Kingdom burials of royals and officials, including several double tombs where a husband and wife were buried together. In these tombs, the coffin and grave goods were placed in a deep pit that was lined with wood. The burial pit was filled in with dirt and covered with waterproof clay and river boulders underneath a large dirt mound ("tumulus.") This construction tended to preserve the tomb contents both from tomb robbers and from the elements. Modern excavations have yielded great quantities of weapons, gold crowns, and other precious artifacts that are now exhibited in the Gyeongju and Seoul museums. Other burials found in the vicinity include jar burials and tombs with stone-lined chambers.
Famous tombs located here include Cheonmachong (the Heavenly Horse Tomb, next page), and Hwangnam daechong (later page), a large and rich double gourd-shaped tomb. The Silla-period Cheomseongdae Observatory is also located nearby.
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