Hwasun dolmen

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Dolmen in Hwasun

The dolmens of Hwasun , which are located in the district of Hwasun ( 화순군 ), in the province of Jeollanam-do ( 전라남도 ) in South Korea , are together with the dolmens of Gochang ( 고탕 ) and the dolmens of Ganghwa ( 강화 ) by the protected status as World cultural heritage in December 2000 became internationally known. Two years earlier, they were registered in South Korea with registration number 410 on the list of historical places worthy of protection.

geography

The protected dolmens are located a few kilometers southwest of Hwasun-Eup in the hills south of the Jiseokgang, a tributary of the Yeonsangang. There they are spread over two areas totaling 31  hectares over a length of around 10 km on both sides of the Bogeomjae pass, which connects the villages of Hyosan-ri in Togong-myeon and Taeshin-ri in Chunyang-myeon. A 190 hectare buffer zone was created around this area.

The positions of the two areas are: 34 ° 58 '52.4 "  N , 126 ° 55' 24.7"  O (Hyosan-ri-area), and 34 ° 58 '21.2 "  N , 126 ° 56' 4, 7 ″  O (Teashin-ri area).

Dolmen areas

Group of dolmens

In many villages of Hwasun, dolmens were found in clusters:

  • 1975 in the village of Taecho-ri in Toam-myeon,
  • 1981 in the villages of Wolsan-ri, Janghang-ri and Jangnang-ri in Iseo-myeon,
  • 1987 in the villages of Jeolsan-ri, Sasu-ri and Pokgyo-ri,
  • 1992 in the village of Mannyeon-ri and
  • 1996 in the villages of Hyosan-ri and Taeshin-ri.

Accumulations in Hyosan-ri and Taeshin-ri have been placed under protection by UNESCO. They each contained six dolmen groups with around 250 and 300 dolmens per area.

In Hyosan-ri, investigations found 1,124 pieces of dolmen originating from 158 dolmen, including 25 groups of support stones and 133 separate cap stones. Another 100 groups of supporting stones were in the ground or broken. Overall, it can be assumed that at the time the dolmen site was built, there were more than 250 dolmens in the area.

At Taeshin-ri, 3,543 pieces of dolmens were found, from 129 dolmen, including 22 groups of support stones and 105 cap stones. Another 190 groups of capstones were partially buried or broken. Here one can assume over 300 dolmens that must have existed at the time of their construction.

A total of 597 dolmens were found in the Bogeomjae Valley, including so-called table , checkerboard and capstone dolmens (table, chessboard, capstone). A quarry in the area could also be assigned to the dolmen.

Investigations on 35 dolmens have shown that they were between 800 and 500 BC. Must have arisen. In the villages of Taegon-ri, Taeshin-ri and Hyosan-ri, bronze tools and other grave goods were also found. From this it could be concluded that the dolmens were built around the 5th and 6th centuries BC. Chr. Shall be built.

Noteworthy specimens

Pingmae rocks

One of the notable examples of the dolmen in Hwasun is the Pingmae rock. With a length of 7.3 m, a width of 5 m and a height of 4 m, the rock is one of the largest specimens in the world and is considered the largest dolmen ever found in Korea. The bottom of the rock is sanded. This means that the rock, which is said to weigh 280 tons, rests on 5 supporting stones. Other sources claim that the rock weighs 260 tons and is the largest dolmen rock in the world. The name Pingmae is derived from 'ping' for throwing something and 'mae' from “Mago-Halmi”, a grandmother in Korean mythology. According to legend, she threw the rock.

Other dolmens were popularly given names for their shape or use. For example, a rock was given the name Gwangcheon (official rock) because, according to stories, it was used by a governor from the neighboring city to sit on it to do his official business. Other rocks were called moon rocks because they are said to have shown hikers the way on the highest point of the mountain pass Bogeomjae on the moon-lit night. Still other rocks were given names according to their shape, such as turtle rocks, frog rocks, ship rocks or the like.

See also

literature

  • Seo Jeong Bae : World Heritage List Application . Koch'ang, Hwasun, and Kanghwa Dolmen Sites . Ed .: The Cultural Properties Administration - Republic of Korea . Seoul June 17, 1999 ( online PDF 54.2 MB [accessed November 4, 2015]).
  • The Cultural Properties Administration - Republic of Korea (Ed.): Properties Submitted for the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List . Preservation Plan for the Koch'ang, Hwasun, and Kanghwa Dolmen Sites . Seoul 1999 ( online PDF 54.2 MB [accessed November 4, 2015] printouts of a presentation).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Seo : World Heritage List Application . 1999, p.  2 .
  2. ^ Seo : World Heritage List Application . 1999, p.  6 .
  3. ^ A b Seo : World Heritage List Application . 1999, p.  9 .
  4. ↑ Properties Submitted for the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List . 1999, p.  13 .
  5. ^ Seo : World Heritage List Application . 1999, p.  7 .
  6. ↑ a b c Dolmens in Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa . Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea , accessed November 4, 2015 .
  7. ↑ Properties Submitted for the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List . 1999, p.  14 .
  8. ↑ Pingmaebawi District . Hwasun County - Research Center of Dolmens in Northeast Asia , accessed November 4, 2015 .
  9. ↑ a b Hwasun Dolmen Site . In: Visit Korea ed = Korea Tourism Organization . Retrieved November 4, 2015 .
  10. ↑ Gwak Jae-gu : Hwasun - A peaceful place full of mystical energy . In: The Korea Foundation (Ed.): Koreana - Korean Art and Culture . Volume 10, No. 3, autumn. Seoul 2015, p.  56-58 .
  11. ↑ What is dolmen? . Hwasun County - Research Center of Dolmens in Northeast Asia , accessed November 4, 2015 .