Songhak-dong Tumuli, Goseong

This description was machine-translated from the Korea Tourism Organization's Korean original.

These are seven Gaya tombs situated around the hills extending from Mugisan in Goseong-eup. Tomb No. 1 stands at the highest point, with the remaining six tombs located progressively farther down the slope. About 300 m to the north of this area are the Giwon-ri tombs, and about 300–400 m to the east is the Songhak-dong shell midden, indicating the location of the Sogaya kingdom of the Three Kingdoms period. From its outward appearance, Tomb No. 1 may look like a keyhole-shaped tumulus with a square front and a rounded rear, but excavations have shown that it follows a form unique to Gaya, in which earth was piled up into a hill-like mound and a stone burial chamber was then constructed. These seven tombs are closely related to Tomb No. 1, the Mugisan tomb, and may be said to serve as subsidiary tombs (baechong) protecting Tomb No. 1. Accordingly, given its favorable location and scale, Tomb No. 1 is presumed to have belonged to a local chieftain, and its construction is estimated to fall within a range of about 50 years before and after A.D. 400. To the northeast lies the Goseong Dongoe-dong shell midden, where remains such as pit burials (togwangmyo), jar coffins (onggwanmyo), and stone-coffin burials (seokgwanmyo), as well as artifacts including a bronze spearhead (cheongdong gwangmo), a bronze sword-hilt end ornament (geompadu-sik), mirror fragments, charred rice, and gray pottery have been found, allowing inferences about the culture of this region. The Songhak-dong tombs are Gaya cultural remains representing the later culture that followed the Early Iron Age of the Dongoe-dong shell midden, and they are historically important materials. (Source: Korea Heritage Service)