Cheongdo Beomgokri Dolmen Group

About this place

The Cheongdo Beomgokri dolmen group is a cluster of Bronze Age tombs. The dolmens in Beomgokri, Hwayang-eup, Cheongdo-gun are the representative tomb type of the Bronze Age—also known as goindol—and are primarily understood to be the burials of the ruling elite with economic power or political authority. The three clusters of dolmens remain in pine forests and cultivated fields. Korean dolmens are generally classified as the northern table-type (four support stones forming a chamber, topped by a large flat capstone) and the southern go-board type (a chamber dug underground, small support stones, then a capstone on top); the Beomgokri examples are southern-type dolmens without support stones (gaesik). They are densely distributed around the Cheongdocheon stream in two groups—22 to the east and 12 to the west—about 50 m apart. This suggests there was a large Bronze Age village settled along the Cheongdocheon, and the high number of tombs implies the community was sizable.