The Changes and Meaning of the Accessories of the Wooden Coffins of the Large Stone Chamber Tombs of the Yeongsan River Basin

This paper presents the stages of the wooden coffin accessories of the large stone chamber tombs in the Yeongsan River Basin based on an examination and comparison of those wooden coffin accessories. In addition, through a comparison with examples from of the Baekje capital during the Ungjin period, the way in which the meaning of the wooden coffin accessories changed was observed. In the Ungjin period tombs of the Yeongsan River basin, wooden coffin accessories of different types were excavated, and it is believed that two to three coffins were generally used. The combination of wooden coffin accessories can be divided into four stages: the first stage is when headless nails were used; the second stage is when square-headed nails were used; the third stage is when circular coffin rings and round-headed nails were used; the fourth stage is when square coffin rings were added and round-headed nails continued to be used. It is estimated that the first stage is at the late of the 5th century, the second stage is early of the 6th century, the third and fourth stage is at the mid-6th century. The wooden coffin accessories excavated from Ungjin tombs in the Yeongsan River Basin differ in distribution pattern, and in the first half of the Ungjin period, such artifacts were identified in Dasi, Naju, and it is estimated that this area was related to Baekje from early on. In the late Ungjin period, the wooden coffins of the Baekje royal class tombs appear in the northern tombs of the Yeongsan River Basin and subsequently change in a similar manner. It is estimated that the groups that constructed the tombs in this region emerged through various roles, while maintaining a close relationship with the capital of Baekje. In addition, it is noteworthy that in the southwestern region of Naju in the early Sabi period, a pattern of wooden accessory combinations similar to that of the Baekje capital appeared. The use of wooden coffins was an important part of the burial ritual of ancient tombs, and it can be estimated, through the wooden coffin accessories, that almost the same burial rituals as that of the capital of Baekje were performed.