GNRICH announced rare relics excavated at royal palace site, unraveling mystery of lifestyle of Silla

GYEONGJU, South Korea, June 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (the GNRICH) announced on the 15th that after starting the excavation research of Silla Wolseong, a series of articles titled "Rediscovery of Silla" will be released, in cooperation with Yonhap News Agency. According to an official from the institute, the articles will be posted a total of 10 times.

Rare relics have been excavated consecutively, which provide evidence for a lifestyle of Silla people who lived at Wolseong in Gyeongju, a royal palace site which holds a millennial history of Silla, and they are drawing great attention of historical academia. It is the accomplishment of the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage to undertake an extensive excavation work since 2014 by organizing the research team, investigating the inside of Wolseong royal palace and Haeja (a pond surrounding the palace).

Wolseong, a half moon-shaped terrain, is a royal palace site of Silla, which was designated as a historic site in 1963. After the excavation investigation of Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage started in December of 2014, a building site was discovered, which is estimated to be the governmental office inside Wolseong. Also, roof tiles made in special technique, human bones, a clay doll wearing a turban, which shows international communication of Silla, and various records of plants and animals have been discovered.

The controversy over the construction date of Wolseong was also brought to an end over this investigation. Opinions varied in historic academia, speculating the construction date from the end of the 3th century to the late 5th century, but it was discovered through detailed scientific analysis that the construction date of Wolseong is between the mid 4th century and the early 5th century.  

Kim Seong-bae, the director of the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, explained "we will continuously hold various public events based on the accomplishment we have made through detailed excavation research of Wolseong, with the hope of more people to understand the history and culture of Silla."

Website: https://nrich.go.kr/english/index.do