Jjoksaem District (Silla Tumulus Excavation Site)

About this place

The Jjoksaem District refers to the area of the Hwangori Tumulus Complex (covering Hwango-dong, Hwangnam-dong, and Inwang-dong) east of Daereungwon. It is a collective burial ground for Silla royalty and nobility from the 4th to 6th centuries, covering approximately 384,000 m², and is one of Korea's most significant Silla aristocratic relic excavation sites. As residential buildings encroached on the area from the 1960s, seriously damaging the tumuli, the Cultural Heritage Administration and Gyeongju City purchased private land and residences and began excavations in 2007. More than 150 tombs including Silla stone-mound wooden-chamber burials, stone-lined burials, and jar burials have been uncovered, along with over 3,000 artefacts such as gold earrings, gilt-bronze objects, and horse saddles. In 2009, a suit of lamellar armor (scale armor) believed to have been worn by a 5th-century general, and a horse armor set, were recovered from a Silla aristocratic tomb in Hwango-dong — the first fully preserved example of lamellar armor ever unearthed in East Asia. Visitors wishing to see the ongoing excavation up close or learn more about the finds are recommended to visit the nearby 'Jjoksaem Archaeological Site Exhibition Hall'.