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The Latest Outcomes of Excavating Goguryeo Mural Tombs in North Korea and Tasks Ahead

  • The Review of Korean History
  • 2017, (126), pp.5-48
  • Publisher : The Historical Society Of Korea
  • Research Area : Humanities > History

정경일 1

1연변대학교 역사학부

Accredited

ABSTRACT

In the past 20 years, about 10 tombs with mural paintings from the Goguryeo Dynasty were newly discovered in North Korea, including the third Taeseongri tomb, Songjukri tomb, Okdori tomb, and Cheondeokri tomb, providing new resources for a study of Goguryeo history. In the Okdori tomb, the Chinese characters “大” and “王” appeared together for the first time, and in the Cheondeokri tomb, an engraved swirling pattern was found that has not appeared elsewhere in neighboring regions or countries of the same period. Also, the third Taeseongri tomb was excavated, a tomb with a large mural painting and a complex tomb structure like the earlier discovered third Anak tomb. From the 34th Daeseongdong tomb, a sword with a ring handle was excavated, a rarity among Goguryeo relics, and from a constellation drawing found in the 18th Honamri tomb, traces of drawing a circle with a compass were discovered. These new findings from mural tombs pose numerous academic tasks including the grade of tombs and the matter over buried persons, and call for a reexamination of related academic issues such as the historical changes in Goguryeo tombs with mural paintings and their characteristics by location. Against this background, we briefly introduce excavation outcomes of Goguryeo tombs with mural paintings that have been intensely undertaken in North Korea lately, and identify tasks ahead.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.