The tallest 180cm buried man from Three Kingdoms Tomb in Gyeongju discovered

Skeleton of a 1,500-year-old 'giant' discovered in Silla Dynasty tombs
2021-07-15 11:11:06

https://k-odyssey.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=1065579073975772 

Skeleton of a 1,500-year-old ′giant′ discovered in Silla Dynasty tombs

 

Researchers from the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation (KCHF) have discovered a 180cm tall male human skeleton, the tallest among discovered bones of the Three Kingdoms period so far, at the ‘Tapdong site’. The Tapdong site excavation is a project which is funded nationally by the Korea Lottery Commission, the KCHF announced on the 15th.  

At 28-1 Tapdong in Gyeongju and is excavated, the KCHF found twenty-four tombs from the Three Kingdoms era between the 5th and 6th centuries and twelve human skeletons inside the tombs. 

 

180cm tall male human skeleton

 

Located at the bottom of Dodangsan Mountain adjacent to Namcheon Stream in Gyeongju, the Tapdong site has an essential group of Silla tombs that are known to be constructed until the 6th century. The KCHF has found 180 tombs including 130 wooden chamber tombs with stone mound through investigation from 2010 to 2021.   

What is noteworthy as a result of this investigation is the male human skeleton with a height of nearly 180cm found in wooden chamber tomb no 2. This man is much higher than the average height for male bones (165cm) found in tombs from the Three Kingdoms era so far and this is the tallest among the human bones unearthed at tombs from that era. Moreover, their preservation is almost perfect. 

 

180cm tall male human skeleton

 

 

Furthermore, it is identified that the buried person had a spinal deformity (curvature of the spine) through an urgent physical anthropological investigation. In the future, it is expected that it will be possible to estimate what kind of physical work the buried person did and the occupational group through detailed archaeological and pathological studies.  

On the other hand, the human bones of the Tapdong site revealed this time were unearthed by the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and various interdisciplinary convergence studies will be carried out together with the KCHF. The GNRICH supports precise human bone exposure, record, excavation, and analysis through specialized researchers from the investigation of the Tapdong site, and plans to conduct anthropological and pathological research using human bones in the future.

 

 

 

 

It is expected that it will be possible to clarify the life, environment, and funeral customs of the Silla Dynasty.

Furthermore, it is also expected to embody the appearance of the Silla people by finding the face of this Silla male through facial restoration.  

In addition, these ancient human bones are evaluated as essential data that can restore the living and environment of the past as well as the genetic and biological characteristics of the people in the past. In the 21st National Assembly, legislation is underway to prepare institutional maintenance on excavated remains including these human bones and it is hoped that this system will help restore the past in three-dimensional ways.