Volta
Culture3rd–5th century

Daeseong-dong Tombs, Gimhae

Tombs of the Geumgwan Gaya elite. Their wooden-chamber burials held iron ingots, armour and goods from the northern steppe and Wa.

Daeseong-dong tombs, Gimhae — the hill of Geumgwan Gaya elite burials
Daeseong-dong tombs, Gimhae — the hill of Geumgwan Gaya elite burials

HappyMidnight · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

On a low hill in Gimhae lie the tombs of the kings and elite of Geumgwan Gaya. Most are wooden-chamber pit tombs, and the many iron ingots (used like money), cuirasses of joined iron plates (pangap-ot), helmets and horse fittings show the strength of this land of iron. Plate armour and iron ingots are the signature artefacts of Gaya’s iron culture.

A bronze cauldron of northern nomadic type and wheel-shaped bronzes from Wa show that Geumgwan Gaya was a hub of sea trade linking Nangnang and Wa. In 2023 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the Jisan-dong tombs and others as the "Gaya Tumuli".

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The map in AD 300

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States at the time
Gaya
Places
Daeseong-dong Tombs, Gimhae

Before and after

Earlier
AD 260 King Goi’s Reforms
Later
AD 313 King Micheon Expels the Lelang Commandery

Themes that include this event

  • Changes in Tombs2000 BC – 1374

    From dolmens to the tomb of King Gongmin — stone-mound, stone-mound wooden-chamber, stone-chamber and brick tombs, and how burial changed by kingdom and age

  • Gimhae150 BC – AD 685

    From Guya of Byeonhan to Geumgwan Gaya — centre of the early Gaya league, built on iron and sea routes