An Archaeological Study on the Traditional and Basic Culture of Early Goguryeo : Analysis of Stone Tombs in Huanren County

This article analyzes the Dalishugou site, Dadianzi site, Guangfucun site, Fengjiapuzi site, and Wangjianglou site in Huanren County. Through the analysis of tombs, the location and distribution of tombs, their structure, burial method and funerary objects were examined from a tentative perspective. The structures of the tombs are diverse, and include stone cists, stone-lined tombs, pit-type and stone-mound-type dolmens, stone-mound tombs with capstones, and stone-lined tombs with non-stepped stone cairns. The stone-mound tombs with capstones have only been excavated at the Fengjiapuzi site. These tombs appear to be of a transitional aspect as they have a complex structure of a dolmen and a stone-mound tomb. Cremation customs were investigated at the Dadianzi site, Guangfucun site, Fengjiapuzi site, and Wangjianglou site. In particular, traces of the transformation of funerary objects due to cremation in the tomb were investigated. The bones in Wangjianglou tomb No. 1 were grayish-white in color, indicating cremation at high temperatures. Few artifacts were excavated from the tombs. A narrow-bladed bronze dagger and bronze arrowhead were excavated from the Dadianzi tomb, and a bronze bracelet was excavated in the Guangfucun tomb. Although several tombs with relatively diverse structures were excavated at the Fengjiapuzi site, the artifacts were simple, such as a mounted cup and a polished stone dagger imitating a narrow-bladed bronze dagger. In the Wangjianglou tomb, earthenware such as a Long-necked jar with four-ears, a jar-like plate, various ironware, jade bracelets, glass rings and ear plug, earring made of braided gold thread, and various ball-shaped beads were found. Among these, the Long-necked jar with four-ears is compared to a jar excavated from the Longtoushan dolmen in Xinbin and has many similarities with the earthenware of early Goguryeo. The tombs from the Bronze Age to the early Goguryeo period in the Huanren County are helpful in understanding the process of change and development in terms of their structure and funerary objects. The Dalishugou tombs was built around the 10th century BC. With the advance of the Yan Dynasty in the early 4th century BC, ironware from the Eastern Zhou was introduced, bringing about significant cultural changes in Northeast Asia. The stone cist tombs at the Dadianzi site and the dolmen at Guangfucun site date from around the mid-3rd century BC, although there is no significant difference in time. Also, around this time the stone-mound-type dolmens at the Fengjiapuzi site were built, as well as. The stone-mound tombs with capstones (No. 3 and No. 5) at the Fengjiapuzi site constructed at the end of the 3rd century BC. Meanwhile changes occurred as stone mounds played an important role in the tomb structure of this period, which became the stone-lined tombs with non-stepped stone cairns, representing the early Goguryeo tombs. Tombs No. 1 and No. 4 at the Wangjianglou site and tomb No. 4 at the Fengjiapuzi site are inferred to have been built around the 2nd century BC at the latest.