ABSTRACT
Many rich tombs have been explored in Gyeongju, of which the gold crown tombs under large mounds are the most celebrated. However, bronze artifacts found under dolmens, and iron horse trappings in wooden coffins make the early graves interesting. The archaeology of central Gyeongju begins with dolmens in the Late Mumun period. The dolmen tombs in Hwangseong-dong appear to be the earliest burials in Gyeongju. The Gujeong-dong site is a double burial of a man and woman. As local expressions of power and control, giant tombs visually dominated Gyeongju in the Mounded Tomb period. The huge mounded tombs were erected north of the earlier tombs on what might have been unused land or perhaps agricultural fields. Few tombs from Unified Silla have been excavated. Gyeongju is an important symbol in South Korea and extensive archaeological work has been done. The archaeological discoveries are important to balance the documentary record.
