The Gyerim-ro construction project in Daereungwon Tomb Complex was started as part of the Gyeongju Development Plan in the 1970s. The road construction work was carried out in parallel with the archaeological survey of ancient tombs for the purpose of transforming Gyeongju into a tourist city.
This was no ordinary project, however, as a tomb was newly unearthed at every turn. Most of them were small to medium-sized tombs that were incomparable to the massive royal tombs, but they contained artifacts that helped shed light on the splendid culture of Silla.
An ornamented sword in gold color was found in Tumulus No. 14 on Gyerim-ro, and it was truly one of a kind that hadn’t been seen anywhere else.
Archaeologists back then when “excavation” and “archaeological survey” were fairly new concepts in Korea were unable to explain the identity of the sword.
Let’s learn about the hidden story behind the discovery of Ornamented Sword from Gyerim-ro, Gyeongju that accompanied both feelings of regret and joy.
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