Whose dolmens were they?!

[Man]
There are many stories about the status of those who were buried underneath a dolmen. It is very difficult to determine the identity of the buried person. Many arguments were raised because the dolmens in Korea come in different shapes and densities depending on the region, and because they display various aspects in the cluster and shape of burial chambers.

[Woman]
The person buried underneath a dolmen underwent a transformation in their status, as it took a long period of time to build each dolmen. The structure and layout of the burial chamber differs depending on the cluster of dolmens, making it difficult to assume that each tomb belonged to a particular class or stratum. That is why some argue that the dolmen served as a tomb for a ruler like a chieftain and their family members, as a joint tomb for a community of blood ties, or as a tomb for the fallen in battle.

[Man]
Building a dolmen requires a large workforce. This is because a capstone weighing as little as a few tons to as much as several hundred tons had to be collected and transported. Thus, there must have been a lot of people to be mobilized as the workforce. Some view the dolmen as the tomb of a leader based on the bronze ware, ornaments, and other grave items excavated.

[Woman]
While excavating a series of dolmens, one was found to have no burial chamber. What this suggests is that dolmens were not built solely to serve as tombs. Dolmens were also used as headstones and altars.

[Man]
Why were dolmens built? They were built because powerful rulers began to emerge. In the Bronze Age, inter-tribal wars created classes, and rulers needed a reason to flaunt their power. In this process, they came up with building the dolmens. The most ideal way to show off and strengthen one’s authority and demonstrate the power of their tribe was to build a dolmen. The rulers of the time used the dolmen to strengthen their control and further unite the tribes. Dolmen served as a symbol of power and authority.