Gyeongsan Imdang-dong and Joyeong-dong Tumulus Complex

About this place

Located in the Imdang-dong, Joyeong-dong, and Amnyang-eup areas of Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, this is a cluster of early Three Kingdoms period tombs including pit-and-wooden-chamber mounds and corridor-style stone-chamber tombs. Excavated by Yeungnam University Museum in 1982, it was designated a Historic Site in 2011. The tombs take various forms: wooden-coffin burials, jar burials, stone-mound wooden-chamber burials, and corridor-type stone-chamber burials. Artifacts recovered include gold and silver personal ornaments, iron weapons including ring-pommel swords, and various pottery types. The finds suggest these are the graves of local rulers of the period. The Samguk Sagi records that in the 23rd year of King Pasa, the king of the Apdo-guk (state) submitted to Silla — a polity likely centered near the Amnyang-myeon area where these tombs lie. The burial structures and artifacts parallel those of early Gyeongju tombs, and also bear similarities to Gaya culture, demonstrating cultural exchange between the two regions.