Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan
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Location706, Byeonsan-ro Haseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryCultural Heritage / Tangible Cultural Heritage
- Korean부안 구암리 지석묘군
- Chinese扶安龜岩里支石墓群
- Nickname구암리 고인돌 떼|부안 구암리 고인돌군|부안 구암리 고인돌 떼
- FieldHistory / Premodern
- Contents TypeHistoric Site / Ancient Tomb
- Current Location706, Byeonsan-ro Haseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- Dolmens of the Bronze Age located in Seoksang-ri, Haseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Summary
- Jiseokmyo dolmen is a type of stone monument, used as a tomb of the Bronze Age. There are various types of dolmens including the table (northern) type, which is erected like a table, the Go board (southern) type, which consists of a large capstone supported by small stones, and the cover stone type, which consists of an underground chamber covered by a capstone. It is assumed that the place name “Guam-ri” (from the Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan) originates from the shape of Dolmen No. 7, which is the largest dolmen and is said to resemble a turtle (Guam means “turtle rock” in Korean). As the stone was quarried in the mountainous area to the west and south of the Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan, the Yeongeuncheon Stream flows to the south of the site. The surrounding area is extensively covered by flat and wide fields. The site had the optimal conditions for human settlement at the time these dolmens were erected.
- Location
- The Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan are located in the village of Guam (#706 and seven other lots, Seoksang-ri, Haseo-myeon, Buan-gun). One can reach Guam by driving along National Road No. 23 towards Julpo, turning right at the Sangseo-myeon Community Office towards Local Road No. 736 (Goindol-ro), passing the Sangso Elementary School, continuing straight on at the Dohwa Intersection where Local Road No. 705 (Naebyeonsan-ro) meets the No. 736, crossing the bridge of Yeongeuncheon Stream, turning left and continuing for about 70 meters. The Dolmen Site Parking Lot is located in front of the entrance to the village, and after the parking lot, the dolmen site can be found.
- Background and Result of Excavation and Investigation
- The Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan were investigated by Lee Hong-jik in 1956 and reported in his book Doksayeojeok in 1960. He reported that thirteen dolmens were located inside the fence around the house of Baek Yeong-gi, but only ten of them remain at present. However, according to Buan County’s existing dolmen site map and planning map for the maintenance of historic sites in 1979, only eight dolmens (except No. 3 and No. 4) have been identified so far. Therefore, in order to ascertain the remaining number of dolmens, it will be necessary to excavate and investigate the entire area around the Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan.
- Forms
- The ten dolmens feature the Go board type, while the Dolmens No. 1 to No. 9 form a group, the Dolmen No. 10 is located separately. The major axis of Dolmen No. 1, which is located due southeast from the center of the site, runs in the north-south direction. Its oval capstone is 6.4 m in length, 4.5 m in width, and 0.8 m in thickness and is supported by 8 stones that have a pillar or panel-like shape and form the tomb’s chamber. These supporting stones measure 0.7 to 1.0 m in length and 0.3 to 0.76 m in width. At the time of its discovery in 1969, this was the largest Go board type of dolmen found to date.
Dolmen No. 2 is located in the south-north (southwest 20˚) direction along the northern wall of Dolmen No. 1. Its thin rectangular capstone is 6.38 m in length, 3.84 m in width and 0.65 m in thickness, and is supported by 4 stones with 0.6 m in length. Dolmen No. 3 is located opposite to No. 2, and its major axis runs southwest 20˚. Its thick capstone is 4.6 m in length, 2.24 m in width, and 1.30 m in thickness, and is supported by 4 stones. Dolmen No. 4, which is rather small, is located southwest of No. 2, with its major axis facing east-west. Its capstone is 2.6 m in length, 1.77 m in width and 0.52 m in thickness, and is supported by 4 stones.
Dolmen No. 5 is located parallel to No. 2 in the south. Dolmen No. 6 is located south of No. 5, and its major axis runs southeast 70˚. Its capstone, which resembles a terrapin’s shell, is 4.5 m in length, 2.76 m in width and 0.6 m in thickness, and is supported by 4 stones. Dolmen No. 7 is located east of No. 6, and its major axis runs southeast 20˚. Its capstone, resembling a terrapin’s shell, is 3.12 m in length, 2.34 m in width, and 0.62 m in thickness, and is supported by 4 stones. Dolmen No. 8 is located south of No. 7, and its major axis runs southeast 30˚. Its capstone is 3.0 m in length, 2.47 m in width, and 0.84 m in thickness, and is supported by 4 stones. Dolmen No. 9 is located parallel to No. 7 in the west, and its major axis runs southeast 30˚. Its capstone is small with 1.84 m in length, 1.25 m in width, and 0.5 m in thickness, and is supported by 4 stones.
Dolmen No. 10 is only partly exposed to the ground as it is buried under the east wall of No. 6, and its major axis runs in the east-west direction. Its capstone is 1.2 m in thickness, and 0.38 m in depth, and its width is unknown. Its understructure, such as the tomb chamber and other facilities, has not been identified as no excavation or investigation has been carried out as yet. However, as a number of stones were found under the capstone, it is possible that the understructure will be discovered during a future excavation.
- Excavated Artifacts
- There is no information on the artifacts as no excavation has been conducted as yet.
- Current Status
- The Dolmen Park has been well maintained by Buan-gun County, since it was established by replacing private house with a grass field in 2001.
- Historical Significance
- Among all Korean dolmens, the Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan (the designated area: 3,322㎡) were first designated as Historic Site (No. 103) on January 21, 1963. These dolmens spread in several locations and most of them consist of a capstone that has several supporting stones, usually hewn from natural rock. They have either 4 or 8 supporting stones, used the taller ones as pillars.
Although the southern type of dolmen, which is composed of a capstone and small supporting stones, is sparsely found in the southern area of Korea, the tall, northern type of dolmen is also found in Buan-gun and Gochang-gun. Among the dolmens at this site, the largest turtle-shaped capstone measures 6.4 m in length and 4.5 m in width and is supported by 8 stones ranging from 70 to 100 centimeters tall arranged in a circle, unlike the other dolmens. All of the other dolmens consist of 4 supporting stones and a capstone measuring 3 to 4 meters in length and 2 to 3 meters in width.
The Dolmens in Guam-ri, Buan display unique features rarely seen in other regions.