Archaeologists in South Korea have recreated the funeral of a young princess who lived around 1,550 years ago. The unusual experiment is part of a project to rebuild her tomb and discover how the Silla kingdom buried its royal dead.
The reenactment took place last month at the Jjoksaem Archaeological Exhibition Hall in Gyeongju, where researchers from the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage are reconstructing Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44. Excavated between 2014 and 2023, the tomb is believed to have belonged to a female member of the Silla royal family.
Researchers estimate that she was only about 10 years old and around 130 centimetres tall when she died. The objects buried with her point to her exceptionally high status, and the archaeological team identifies her as possibly a Silla princess.
Rebuilding a Silla royal tomb
Reconstruction of the burial chamber and wooden framework of Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44. Photo: Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
Silla was one of the three major kingdoms of early medieval Korea, alongside Baekje and Goguryeo. With its capital at Gyeongju, it emerged as the dominant power on the Korean Peninsula during the seventh century and lasted until 935.
The Silla elite constructed enormous burial mounds around wooden chambers containing the deceased and their grave goods. Tomb No. 44 is one of these stone-mound wooden-chamber tombs, with an earthen burial mound measuring about 30 metres across.
Its location was identified in 2007, and detailed excavation began seven years later. Rather than simply excavating the tomb and attempting to reconstruct its appearance digitally, researchers decided to physically rebuild it.
Experimental reconstruction of the stone mound and wooden chamber of Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44. Photo: Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
The experiment began in 2024. Archaeological evidence from the dismantled tomb has allowed the team to work out the sequence in which its wooden chambers, stone mound and earthen covering were probably constructed.
By this summer, they had reached the stage when the deceased would have been brought into the tomb. The July reenactment recreated three crucial parts of the process: placing the deceased and burial goods inside the chamber, performing funerary rituals at an altar, and sealing the inner chamber.
Replicas of objects found during the excavation were arranged around a representation of the princess according to their original positions. Researchers also recreated rituals suggested by the archaeological evidence, including scattering red pigment and mica flakes and shaking clay bells.
Even closing the burial chamber presented a practical challenge. Its reconstructed lid was made from 13 wooden planks joined with 48 iron clamps and reinforced by five transverse timbers. Weighing about 500 kilograms, it had to be manoeuvred into place using ten handles around its edges.
Experiments such as this allow archaeologists to test whether their reconstruction of the burial process actually works. Details that might appear plausible on paper can be tested when researchers have to move the timbers, position the objects and build the stone mound themselves.
A princess buried with hundreds of objects
The reconstructed construction process for Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44, from preparing the site and building the wooden chamber to completing the stone and earthen burial mound. Image: Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
Tomb No. 44 contained hundreds of artefacts, offering an unusually detailed picture of the young woman’s burial. The objects worn by the princess included a gilt-bronze crown and shoes, gold earrings and ornaments, a long necklace, a silver belt, and gold and silver bracelets and rings. Other grave goods included pottery, lacquerware, bronze and iron vessels, a stone mill and pounder, and stones for playing Go.
Among the most striking discoveries was a pair of horse mudguards decorated with jewel beetles. The panels would have hung beneath a saddle to protect the rider from mud kicked up by the horse. Researchers have reconstructed the mudguards, revealing an elaborate design combining a red background with the iridescent wings of the beetles.
The excavation also preserved traces of textiles. Analysis identified a three-coloured woven silk fabric, with madder and gromwell among the materials used for dyeing, as well as woollen fabric made from goat hair.
Evidence found around the burial mound suggests that activity at the tomb continued after the princess was buried. Archaeologists discovered traces of rituals around the stone circles surrounding the monument, providing clues about how the Silla remembered their dead as well as how they buried them.
The reconstruction of the tomb is still underway. Researchers plan to continue through the remaining stages, eventually completing the stone and earthen mound. To learn more about Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44 and its excavation, see this detailed guide published by the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.
Top Image: A reenactment of funerary rites associated with Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44 in Gyeongju, South Korea. Photo: Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
Archaeologists in South Korea have recreated the funeral of a young princess who lived around 1,550 years ago. The unusual experiment is part of a project to rebuild her tomb and discover how the Silla kingdom buried its royal dead.
The reenactment took place last month at the Jjoksaem Archaeological Exhibition Hall in Gyeongju, where researchers from the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage are reconstructing Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44. Excavated between 2014 and 2023, the tomb is believed to have belonged to a female member of the Silla royal family.
Researchers estimate that she was only about 10 years old and around 130 centimetres tall when she died. The objects buried with her point to her exceptionally high status, and the archaeological team identifies her as possibly a Silla princess.
Rebuilding a Silla royal tomb
Silla was one of the three major kingdoms of early medieval Korea, alongside Baekje and Goguryeo. With its capital at Gyeongju, it emerged as the dominant power on the Korean Peninsula during the seventh century and lasted until 935.
The Silla elite constructed enormous burial mounds around wooden chambers containing the deceased and their grave goods. Tomb No. 44 is one of these stone-mound wooden-chamber tombs, with an earthen burial mound measuring about 30 metres across.
Its location was identified in 2007, and detailed excavation began seven years later. Rather than simply excavating the tomb and attempting to reconstruct its appearance digitally, researchers decided to physically rebuild it.
The experiment began in 2024. Archaeological evidence from the dismantled tomb has allowed the team to work out the sequence in which its wooden chambers, stone mound and earthen covering were probably constructed.
By this summer, they had reached the stage when the deceased would have been brought into the tomb. The July reenactment recreated three crucial parts of the process: placing the deceased and burial goods inside the chamber, performing funerary rituals at an altar, and sealing the inner chamber.
Replicas of objects found during the excavation were arranged around a representation of the princess according to their original positions. Researchers also recreated rituals suggested by the archaeological evidence, including scattering red pigment and mica flakes and shaking clay bells.
Even closing the burial chamber presented a practical challenge. Its reconstructed lid was made from 13 wooden planks joined with 48 iron clamps and reinforced by five transverse timbers. Weighing about 500 kilograms, it had to be manoeuvred into place using ten handles around its edges.
Experiments such as this allow archaeologists to test whether their reconstruction of the burial process actually works. Details that might appear plausible on paper can be tested when researchers have to move the timbers, position the objects and build the stone mound themselves.
A princess buried with hundreds of objects
Tomb No. 44 contained hundreds of artefacts, offering an unusually detailed picture of the young woman’s burial. The objects worn by the princess included a gilt-bronze crown and shoes, gold earrings and ornaments, a long necklace, a silver belt, and gold and silver bracelets and rings. Other grave goods included pottery, lacquerware, bronze and iron vessels, a stone mill and pounder, and stones for playing Go.
Among the most striking discoveries was a pair of horse mudguards decorated with jewel beetles. The panels would have hung beneath a saddle to protect the rider from mud kicked up by the horse. Researchers have reconstructed the mudguards, revealing an elaborate design combining a red background with the iridescent wings of the beetles.
The excavation also preserved traces of textiles. Analysis identified a three-coloured woven silk fabric, with madder and gromwell among the materials used for dyeing, as well as woollen fabric made from goat hair.
Evidence found around the burial mound suggests that activity at the tomb continued after the princess was buried. Archaeologists discovered traces of rituals around the stone circles surrounding the monument, providing clues about how the Silla remembered their dead as well as how they buried them.
The reconstruction of the tomb is still underway. Researchers plan to continue through the remaining stages, eventually completing the stone and earthen mound. To learn more about Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44 and its excavation, see this detailed guide published by the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.
Top Image: A reenactment of funerary rites associated with Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44 in Gyeongju, South Korea. Photo: Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
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