A long-standing debate about the precise location of a royal palace in South Korea has finally been laid to rest, as archaeologists have uncovered the site after years of excavations.
For around a thousand years, Gyeongju in Korea’s Gyeongsang region served as the ancient capital of Silla, which ruled from 57 BC to 935 AD. During this time, Gyeongju was known as Seorabeol and at its heart was Wolseong, where the royal palace and central Government offices were located.
Until now, it was believed that Donggung—the crown prince’s residence —was located west of Wolji, an artificial pond formerly known as Anapji. However, this recent discovery reveals that it was actually to the east.
“A large building site was discovered on the eastern side of Wolji, and for the first time, the remains of a flush-style toilet system, believed to have been built during the Unified Silla period (A.D. 668–935), were also discovered,” said Choi Eung-chon of the Korea Heritage Service.
“This new finding has finally put a stop to a long-standing dispute and newly written the history of Silla,” he continued.
Over the past decade, various incredible items have been discovered near Donggung. In 2017, a perfectly cube-shaped ivory die was unearthed. Meanwhile, in 2022, a small piece of pure gold foil with an almost microscopic carving was discovered, engraved with birds and imaginary flowers called “danhwa”.
The birds were carved at a thickness of 0.05 millimetres – which is finer than human hair – showcasing the impressive metalwork skills of the Silla artisans.
However, one of the most impressive discoveries was the uncovering of an ancient tone toilet with a flushable sewage system designed to carry waste away via flowing water. According to Kim Gyeong-yeol, senior researcher at the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, this is a testament to the advanced engineering of Unified Silla.
“This is an early example of a sophisticated plumbing system, reinforcing the idea that this was a royal facility,” he said.
Among the other artefacts were the remains of two dogs, intentionally buried as part of a ritual practice considering the way the bones were arranged, a curved dagger, 12 shark teeth, a wooden comb, and a wooden box containing a crystal necklace – a luxury item of the time.
According to “Samguk Sagi,” or “The Chronicles of the Three States,” Silla’s King Munmu (661–681) completed the unification of the Three Kingdoms – Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla – in 676 when the war with Tang China came to an end.
Three years later, it states that he constructed Donggung – a move signalling the consolidation of royal authority and adopting a succession system modelled on China.
However, this historical record does not mention the location of Donggung, which led scholars and researchers to assume after their research that it sat west of the artificial pond Wolji. The building site here was originally thought of as Donggung, but the discoveries now suggest these structures were an extension of the main royal palace.
“When considering the elevation and scale, it’s clear that the western complex was the king’s domain, while the eastern side was for the crown prince,” Kim said.
