Korea Gyeongju National Museum2

1. SOUTH KOREA The GyeongjuNational Museum

2. Gyeongjuis a city of history and culture treasuring ancient heritage. The city’s national museum is one of the country’s finest, containing many treasures of the Silla kingdom, of which Gyeongju for about 1,000 years from 57 BC until 935 AD., was the capital. This remarkable period in Korean history had importance and lasting influence in terms of the political, architectural and academic history of the country. At the Gyeongju National Museum, there are a total of five permanent exhibition areas: Silla History Gallery; Silla Art Gallery; Wolji Gallery; Treasury of the Silla Millennium and Outdoor Exhibition. Free admission (excl. special exhibitions that require a ticket) In order to ensure order and safety for the visitors, the visitors must be issued a “free admission ticket” before entering the museum

3. The Silla History Gallery invites visitors to explore the ancient kingdom of Silla, which reigned over the south-eastern part of the Korean Peninsula for a thousand years from 57 BC to 935 AD

4. Historyof earthenwareand stonetoolsoftheprehistoricage

5. Long-necked jar with figurines.Tomb of Michu, 5th CSilla, 5th C

6. Gojoseon’s huge leap to the production of bronze ware

7. Ornamented sword from Gyerim-ro The Gyerim-ro dagger and sheath are ornately decorated treasures that were excavated from an ancient Korean tomb from the Silla Kingdom (57 BC – 935 AD) in 1973

8. Dagger and gold scabbard, 6th century, dagger iron, scabbard gold alloy, garnet, and glass

9. The Gyerim-ro dagger and sheath are understood to originate from the Black Sea area, testifying to the expansiveness of the Silk Road network in the ancient world

10. Comma-shaped jades and beads

11. Inlaid glass bead necklaces Silla 5th century

12. Crystal ornaments and necklaces. Unified Silla, 8~9th century

13. Gold crown pendants like this were generally hung from a crown for ornamental purposes. They are shaped like earrings, but longer.

14. Gold rings Silla, 5th century

16. The Silla History Gallery has four rooms with artefacts displayed from the pre-historic era to the forming of the kingdom in the middle of the 4th century, the conquering of nearby lands around the 6th century, and unification of the three kingdoms (Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo) to form the Unified Silla Dynasty Recovered from the Geumgwanchong (Gold Crown Tomb), Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb), and Seobongchong (Felicitous Phoenix Tomb) mound tombs, there is a vast collection of personal ornaments made of pure gold such as crowns, decorated waistbands with hanging tail ornaments, belts, bracelets, earrings, and rings.

17. Comma-shaped jades

19. The glass vessels of Silla (25 in total) have been discovered at the tombs which also contained gold crowns

20. Glass vessel, 6th C In ancient Korean society, glass was treated something as precious as gold and the glass vessels were the most important trading items. Most of glass vessels discovered in Silla tombs are now presumed produced in the east Mediterranean coastal area

22. Gilt-bronze cauldron. Unified Silla period

23. Bronze hand bell. Goryeodinasty

24. Gold necklace Silla, 5th century

26. The gold crown Gyo-dong 5th century

27. The gold crown Gyo-dong, the oldest of the six gold crowns found at Gyeongju is from the 5th century

28. The cap, along with the goldcrown, is an important accessory that represents the wearer’s social rank. Itwas made of gold, silver, gilt-bronze or birch-tree bark, and gold caps appear tohave been reserved for the king

30. The cap is generally conical in shape, with angled tops in some exceptions. The bottom rim has punctured holes at a close interval to attach cloth, which then hung down and was tied at both ends.

31. Gold Belt of Silla- the King’s Authority Gold Waist Belt from Cheonmachong Tomb (Heavenly Horse Tomb)

32. Excavation work of large Silla tombs invariably yields a great number of gold earrings without exception, which is unprecedented elsewhere. Silla earrings are highly elaborate and resplendent, indicating the Silla people’s aesthetic sense and advanced metalwork craftsmanship. The earrings came in various shapes and are generally classified into two types, according to the thickness of their central ring: one with a thick hollow ring and the other with a thin solid ring. Golden earring of Heavenly Horse Tomb

33. Earrings of the 6th century, in particular, were splendidly decorated by attaching hundreds of gold grains or inserting blue or red jade pieces

35. Earrings of the 6th century, in particular, were splendidly decorated by attaching hundreds of gold grains or inserting blue or red jade pieces.

37. Gold diadem ornament Silla, 6th century

38. Silla people seem to have enjoyed decorating their heads with feather or wing-shaped patterns. The diadem ornament of Silla is shaped into a bird flying with fully extended wings. Artifacts from earlier periods were attached on the front of the cap, but after the 6th century, it appears to have been used as a separate item of adornment as its size increased

39. Gold crown and diadem ornament Silla, 6th century

42. The first of the six gold crowns found at Gyeongju is from the 6th century

43. Gold crown and other ornaments of Silla, Geumgwanchong tomb

45. The gold crown of Silla, Geumgwanchong tomb 6th C

46. The gold crown of Silla, Geumgwanchong tomb

48. The gold crown of Silla, from Seobongchong Tumulus

49. The gold crown of Silla, from Seobongchong Tumulus

50. The gold crown Silla from Heavenly Horse Tomb