Dolmens – ancient burial structures of South Korea

Dolmens are ancient burial structures, which are often found in Asia, Europe and North Africa. In Korea is the largest number of dolmens in the world.

They are of great archaeological value, allowing you to learn more about the lifestyle of the people who built them, about the social and political system of the state, the faith and rituals of worshipping the gods, art, holidays and other historical facts.

In the places of burials Gochan, Hwasun and Ganghwa is home to the largest number of dolmens in Korea. Visitors come to admire not only their number but also their diversity: in the form of a table – North type, in the form of a game Board Th – South type, menhirs and other.

In these areas contains equipment for handling, transporting and lifting stone, and also demonstrates the evolution of dolmens in northeast Asia.

Dolmens first appeared in Korea about 1000 BC at the beginning of the first Millennium. They represent a large reservoir of stories, highlighting the differences of each region. By the greatest number of dolmens in northeast Asia can be judged on the level of culturepositive countries in the historical period.

With the growing realization of the importance of these burial structures for history, government and regional government gave them the status of “historical monuments” and “monuments of regional importance”, respectively. Were conducted geographical and topographic studies and excavations in the research purposes. Archaeological excavations at the locations of the dolmens were conducted in compliance with all environmental regulations

The group of dolmens Gochan (to 8.38 ha)

Facilities Chungnim-ri is the largest and most diverse collection of dolmens in Korea, are located in the centre of the village Mesan. Most of them built at a height of 15-50 meters along the southern foot of the hills that stretched from East to West. The height of the upper plate ranges from 1 to 5.8 meters, depending on the form.

The group of dolmens Hwasun (31 ha)

As the group Gochan dolmens, dolmens, Hwasun are located along the slope of hills near the river Cisokan. In the area of the dolmens have remained worse than in the group Gochan. Group Hasan-ri has 158 monuments and the group Dasin-ri – 129 dolmens. In many cases it is possible to determine the origin of the breed.

The group of dolmens Ganghwa (12,27 ha)

This group of dolmens found along the mountainside on the island of Ganghwado. Local dolmens higher than on the mainland and, presumably, were erected much earlier.