Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites

Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites

One of the tallest Domens at Gochang Domens
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location	South Korea
Criteria	iii
Reference	977
Coordinates	34°58′00″N 126°55′45″E / 34.96667°N 126.92917°E / 34.96667; 126.92917
Inscription	2000 (24th Session)
Location of Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites
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The Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites are the location of hundreds of stone dolmen which were used as grave markers and for ritual purposes during the first millennium BCE when the Megalithic Culture was prominent on the Korean Peninsula. The sites were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000. Korea is said to contain more than 40% of the world's dolmen, which are mostly concentrated in these three sites.

The megalithic stones are invaluable because they mark the graves of the ruling elite. Pottery, comma-shaped jewels, bronzes, and other funerary artifacts have been excavated from these dolmen. The culture of the people during this time can be gleaned from the evidence left by the dolmen. Additionally, it can be induced from the stones how the stone was quarried, transported, and used to build the dolmen.

Dolmen in Korea have been dated to the seventh century BCE in locations such as Gochang and the practice ended around the third century BCE. The dolmen culture is linked with the Neolithic and bronze cultures of Korea.

Excavation at the sites did not begin until 1965. Since, then multiple digs have been sponsored and an extensive program of inventory and preservation has been initiated by the Korean government.

Dolmen are generally classified in two types in East Asia. The table/northern-type and the go-board/southern-type. In the former, four stones were positioned to make the walls of a box and were capped by a stone which lay on top of the supports. The latter is characterized by underground burial with stones that supported the capstone.

This group of dolmen are the largest and most varied. They are known as the Jungnim-ri dolmens and are centered in Maesan village, Gochang County, North Jeolla province.

The dolmens were built from east to west at the foot of a series of hills at an altitude of 15 to 50 meters/49 feet to 164 feet. Generally, the capstones of the dolmens are around 1 to 5.8 meters/3.2 to 19 feet in length and may weigh up to 225 tons. 442 dolmen have been documented and classified based on the size of the capstone.