Characteristics and Meaning of the ancestral rite in front of Geumryeongchong Tomb in Gyeongju

Around the stone circle (Ho-suk) of Geumryeongchong, various earthenware, baduk stones, earthen drops, animal remains, and plant remains are found. The arrangement and combination of these artifacts were reviewed to examine the ritual characteristics and meaning. Thirty-five cases of ritual earthenware related to Geumryeongchong were found, which can be understood from the perspective of a ritual held in front of the tomb, but in fact, traces of the ritual held during the construction of the tomb are also left. Most of the rituals held in front of the tomb of Geumryeongchong Tomb include large storage jars, small earthenware, animal remains, and plant remains. There are cases where large jars + bowl supports (feet expectation) + small earthenware + animal and plant remains are buried together, and there are cases where only animal and plant remains are buried, and there are cases where only earthenware is buried. These aspects can be considered in relation to the food ritual used in the ritual in front of the tomb, and the timing and frequency of the ritual can be known. It is not known exactly how long the ritual in front of the tomb was carried out at Geumryeongchong, but it can be assumed that the ritual in front of the tomb lasted for a relatively long time because earthenware corresponding to the late 6th century and the first half of the 7th century was found. And the fact that the protagonist of the Geumryeongchong is a child is a direct evidence that the succession of power in Silla society at that time was inherited bloodily. It can be seen that the ritual in front of the tomb was also carried out in a system of ritual norms based on social status regardless of the age of the protagonist. In the end, the ritual in front of the tomb is to realize the value norms of the place and rituals of the tomb, and is basically a strategy to maintain the relationship with the tomb's protagonist even after the world of death. Therefore, the fact that these rituals were held regularly and irregularly can be thought of as maintaining the continuity of the existence of the tomb's protagonist and the tomb-building groups through rituals. Therefore, maintaining the relationship with the protagonist of the tomb should be understood as a strategy to realize the legitimacy and differentiation of the social status of the tomb-building groups.