Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites
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How it came to be
The Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites are three clusters of prehistoric megalithic tombs in South Korea. Built from large slabs raised on supporting stones over a burial, they served as graves and ritual places for leading families in the 1st millennium BCE. The Korean Peninsula has more than 35,000 dolmens, about 40 percent of the world's total.
At Gochang more than 440 dolmens line the foot of the hills around Maesan village, and they are thought to date from about the 7th century BCE. At Hwasun more than 500 are spread over hills along the Jiseokgang River, where outcrops used as quarries for the capstones have been identified. The Ganghwa dolmens sit higher on mountain slopes, and those at Bugeun-ri and Gocheon-ri are considered early in style.
Excavation did not begin until 1965, and it has produced pottery, comma-shaped jewels, bronzes and stone tools. Most of the dolmens remain as they were built, and the nearby quarries show how the stones were cut and moved. The three sites were inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2000.
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