Ancient Tombs of Baekje

This Ancient Tomb Park contains the restored and relocated tombs of Baekje kings and members of the nobility from the Buyeo Era. By examining the tombs found in Buyeo, we can learn a great deal about the ancient tomb culture of the Baekje Kingdom.

In ancient times a tomb was regarded as a sacred place because people believed that this world was connected to the next world. People were interred with funerary goods - such as everyday items or valuable items that they were particularly fond of -or they believed would accompany them to the next world.

The relics recovered from these tombs are crucial to our understanding of Baekje’s culture and society. The style and type of funerary goods differed by region and period.

First, let’s have a look at the tomb in the middle. Can you see the square hole carved in it? This was added when they restored and transferred the tomb here to reveal its interior to the public. The tomb was originally constructed by digging a hole in the ground that narrowed as it became deeper, and then erecting four stone walls inside. The body was interred along with the funerary goods and the tomb was covered with soil.

The five other tombs displayed here were constructed after this one.

If you look at one of the tombs nearby you will see the narrow entrance. The entrance opens into an internal passageway. Outwardly this tomb appears similar to the last tomb we saw, but its interior is completely different. This one has a square stone chamber and an entrance passageway set to one side. Such passageways were built apart from the chamber due to the belief that the tomb was the occupant’s living space in the afterlife.