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50th Anniversary of the Excavation of King Muryeong’s Tomb - Preparing for the Next Half Century

from National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.57

by National Museum of Korea

from National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.57, page 20

Article from: National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.57

ANCIENT CHINESE BRONZE CULTURE

CURRENT

by YOON JIYEON Associate Curator, Gongju National Museum

Exhibition Info. September 14, 2021 – March 6, 2022. Gongju National Museum

**5,232 items discovered inside the Tomb of King Muryeong on display**

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the Tomb of King Muryeong of the ancient Baekje Kingdom. The dramatic discovery and excavation of the tomb in July 1971 shook up the Korean archaeological and historical circles as the tomb proved exceptional for being the only royal tomb of the Three Kingdoms period whose occupant is known; for being discovered intact as it had never been robbed; for its tomb style influenced by the Southern Dynasties of China; and for its countless artifacts attesting to the outstanding Baekje craftsmanship.

The Gongju National Museum has organized the special exhibition 50th Anniversary of the Excavation of King Muryeong’s Tomb —Preparing for the Next Half Century to commemorate the historic excavation. For the first time, all 5,232 items discovered inside the tomb are on display at the same time.

The exhibition is based on two main keywords—King Muryeong’s Tomb and the Gongju National Museum—which run through all four sections: “Prologue: King Muryeong’s Tomb Unveiled the World,” “Part 1: King Muryeong’s Tomb and the History of Baekje,” “Part 2: King Muryeong’s Tomb and Gongju National Museum,” and “Epilogue: King Muryeong’s Tomb, Preparing for the Next Half Century.” At the Gongju National Museum, special exhibitions have been mainly held in the Special Exhibition Hall but for the first time the display has been expanded into the Ungjin Baekje Hall as well to show visitors as much as possible.

“Prologue: King Muryeong’s Tomb Unveiled the World” introduces the Tomb of King Muryeong and Royal Tombs in Gongju. It explores how the Tomb of King Muryeong was accidently found and the excavation work that followed. After the discovery of the tomb on July 5, 1971, the artifacts were retrieved over three days from July 7 to 9, and further surveys of the tomb were conducted on three occasions. This section therefore looks at the discovery and excavation of the Tomb of King Muryeong, and the contents and mood of media reports at that time.

“Part 1: King Muryeong’s Tomb and the History of Baekje” looks at the major academic achievements made over the past fifty years since the excavation of the tomb. The history of Baekje was rewritten thanks to knowledge of the structure of the Tomb of King Muryeong and the numerous artifacts excavated from the inside. It is even said that research on Baekje can be divided into research before and after the excavation of the Tomb of King Muryeong.

Both the epitaph stone found in the tomb and the Baekje section of the History of the Three Kingdoms, known as Samguksagi, record that King Muryeong passed away in 523, which show the accuracy of the Samguksagi. In addition, the structure of the brick tomb, influenced by the Southern Dynasties of China, artifacts such as headrests, footrests, stone animal statue, and celadon works, and the coffins of the King Muryeong and the Queen Consort made of umbrella pine wood, native to southern Japan, reflect Baekje’s international exchange and craftsmanship.

**Record of the excavation and further surveys of the Tomb of King Muryeong in 1971**

**Gold Crown Ornaments of King Muryeong**

“Part 2: King Muryeong’s Tomb and Gongju National Museum” introduces the achievements of the Gongju National Museum in the fields of archaeology and conservation science. The dramatic discovery and excavation of the Tomb of King Muryeong led to the opening of the Gongju National Museum in 1973 for safe storage of the artifacts excavated from the Tomb of King Muryeong. Moved into a new building in May 2004, the Gongju National Museum is responsible for systematic organization and reporting of the items in its collection and continues to build on its research and obtain new results thanks to developments in science and technology.

This part of the exhibition presents the achievements of archaeology and conservation science based on study of the king and queen’s headrests, footrests, wooden coffins, and gilt-bronze shoes excavated from the Tomb of King Muryeong. On display are the wooden coffins of King Muryeong and the Queen Consort, which were restored based on various analytical data on the joining method used to make the wooden coffins, the coffin nails, and the length of the ornamental end boards.

**Wooden coffins for the King and Queen Consort restored based on analytical data**

**Headrests and footrests of King Muryeong and Queen Consort**

**Gilt-bronze ornaments, gold and silver ornaments, glass beads, and comma-shaped jades**

**Gold Crown Ornaments of Queen Consort**

“Epilogue: King Muryeong’s Tomb, Preparing for the Next Half Century” deals with the challenges the Gongju National Museum faces in preparing for the next fifty years. It is our hope that new results from archaeological and conservation science research will reveal a clearer picture of the real nature of the Tomb of King Muryeong.

This article is from:

National Museum of Korea: Quarterly Magazine, vol.57

by National Museum of Korea