Super-Large Construction Techniques Identified at Tomb No. 3 of the Gochang Bongdeok-ri Ancient Tombs

Cultural Heritage Administration and Gochang County Open Third Excavation Site to the Public
Combination of Different Construction Processes and Work Units... Large-Scale Labor Mobilized

The Cultural Heritage Administration and Gochang County announced on July 14 that, during the third excavation of Tomb No. 3 in the Bongdeok-ri Ancient Tombs of Gochang, they have, for the first time in Korea, identified super-large tomb construction techniques that combine soil bag lattice frameworks and fortress wall building methods. Later today at 1 p.m., the excavation site located at San 2-1, Jungwol-ri, Asan-myeon, Gochang County, will be made public.

Appearance of the expected edition excavation.

Tomb No. 3 is a relic that demonstrates the authority of the power that inherited the traditions of the Morobiri state, one of the 54 minor polities of Mahan, centered around the Gochang area. Measuring 78 meters north-south, 68 meters east-west, and 8.8 meters in height, it is the largest among Mahan mound tombs, and showcases advanced civil engineering techniques.

The first and second investigations in 2023 and 2024 examined the embankment aspects of the tomb slopes and the outer facilities. In this third investigation, researchers identified a “latticework compartment method” in the northern section: after encircling the area with soil, they created a square lattice framework using soil bags and clay blocks, filling each layer with earth successively.

In the southern section, traces were found of vertically stacked soil bag walls, built in multiple layers like the main body of a fortress wall, with the slopes then embanked. This construction method, which combines different processes and work units, demonstrates that the ruling power in Gochang at the time was capable of systematically mobilizing large-scale labor forces.

Overall soil layer and compartment range of Tomb No. 3.

The center of Tomb No. 3 was found to consist solely of a mound without a main burial chamber (such as a stone chamber tomb or stone-lined tomb), indicating that it was not simply a grave but rather a large-scale ceremonial space encompassing the entire tomb group. The discovery of a footed vessel fragment in the central section of the mound and traces of pottery burial at the southern edge further support the view that ritual activities continued throughout the construction process.

The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to incorporate these findings into the “Gochang Bongdeok-ri Ancient Tombs Historical and Cultural Zone Maintenance Project,” and will continue to promote the state-funded excavation of important relics in historical and cultural zones.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.