Iksan Twin Tombs (Ssangneung)

About this place

Located in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, these are two tombs lying side by side from north to south — hence the name Ssangneung (Twin Tombs). The internal structure is that of a late Baekje corridor stone-chamber tomb (hoengholyeok sil-myo). The larger northern tomb is called Daewangmyo (Great King Tomb) and the smaller southern one Sowangmyo (Minor King Tomb). Though slightly different in size, both are circular earthen mounds with no external decoration. When investigated in 1917 the tombs had already been looted and no artefacts remained. Fortunately, partial wooden coffin remains were found in Daewangmyo and could be partially reconstructed: the coffin was slightly wider at the top than the bottom, and the lid was convex. The coffin rings were confirmed to bear an eight-petal lotus design. The two tombs were formally excavated in 2018 (Daewangreung) and 2019 (Sowangneung). The excavation of Daewangreung confirmed it was a Baekje royal-grade tomb of the Sabi period constructed using the ramming (panchuk) technique. Notably, fragments of human bone previously unknown were discovered at the end of the stone chamber; precision analysis revealed the estimated age of the deceased to be similar to the age at death of King Mu, supporting the identification of this tomb as his burial.