Cheonmachong | |
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Cheonmachong means "Heavenly Horse Tomb." Contrary to the
impression the name gives, the tomb did not contain a horse. The name comes from a painting of a
heavenly horse that was found during the tomb's excavation. The mound is 12.7 meters high and 47
meters in diameter. Some of the artifacts found during the excavation are displayed here, although
most are replicas of the original pieces on display at the Kyongju
National Museum.
The tomb's wooden structure had stones piled over and around it, an upper covering of clay, and dirt
and grass on top. The stones protected against robbers: walls collapsed on thieves trying to dig from
the side. The site was made into a museum to reveal how it was excavated with imitations of the
uncovered artifacts placed in the positions in which they were found. Hwangnamdaech'ong was
also restored to its original shape.In this tomb, the burial chamber was placed on top of the ground, not below it. Such positioning helped prevent the decay of burial accessories by protecting them from ground water. The entombed person was laid in the center of the grave, with his head pointed to the East, showing respect for the sun. Burial accessories were laid beside the body. Cheonmachong Gold Crown 
This gold crown, excavated from Cheonmachong Tomb, is the most elaborate of the ten crowns of Shilla
so far discovered in the Kyongju area, and was designated National Treasure #188.It is 40 cm high and
23 cm in diameter, with 58 carved jade pieces. It has plates thicker than those of other crowns and has
a 4-level branch design. Like other Shilla gold crowns, it has tree-shaped uprights on the front and
sides and two antler-shaped uprights in back. Comma-shaped jades and gold spangles are attached with
gold wires. One of cap ornaments is butterfly-shaped and the other is wing-shaped.The branch shape of the crown suggests that the people of that time respected nature, especially trees. Jade represented the greatness of the universe and served as a symbol to ward off evil. Two antlers in the crown's back represented a deer. It is similar to Siberian shaman caps adorned with tree branches in the front and deer antlers in back, indicating a possible Siberian origin for the design. 
Because of its size, historians believe it adorned a cloth or leather piece of headgear. Until the
excavation of this site, historians believed that such gold crowns, caps, and cap ornaments were worn
together as a set. However, in this tomb, the crown, cap, and cap ornaments were found in different
places, indicating that they were worn separately.
Shilla Pottery 
Shilla potters had developed their own unique styles by the end of the fourth century. Many pottery
items dating from that period are still being found around Kyongju. They are divided into two groups:
east and west of the Nakdong River. One group consists of clay vessels fired in a reducing flame,
while the other is grayish black pottery. The two groups also differ in their shapes: the eastern
group had long-necked pots with round bottoms or stands and round or oblong ventilation holes, while
the western group did not have stands and had triangular ventilation holes.During the Shilla period, the water-sieving process had not been perfected. Wares of the period were somewhat porous and coarse. The patterns were commonly geometric, lined, and waved, with some dot patterns carved in sharp intaglio. A few have basic human or animal figures. Smaller vessels with humans, animals, or boats were intended for ceremonial use only. These styles reflected other ancient Northeast Asian styles and showed influence from China. Hours: Summer - 09:00 ~ 18:00 / Winter - 09:00 ~ 17:00 Admission: Adults: 1500 won (Group: 1200 won) Youths(13 ~ 18 years old): 700 won (Group: 600 won) Children(8 ~ 13 years old): 600 won (Group: 500 won) Directions: Gyeongbu Expressway -> go straight at the crossroad of #35 National Road -> turn left at #7 National Road -> Anapji Pond -> Cheomseongdae Observatory | |
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