On the Archaeological Implications of Koguryo Metal Vessels Buried in Silla’s Wooden Chamber Tombs with Stone Mounds

This paper focuses on the fact that some of the metal vessels buried in Silla’s wooden chamber tombs with stone-mounds (jeokseokmokgwak-bun) show a direct or indirect relationship with Koguryo. In particular, the lidded metal containers, which served as symbols and commemorative objects of the great kings of Koguryo, have not been found within Koguryo itself. But they have been unearthed from Silla’s wooden chamber tombs with stone-mounds, alongside ceremonial vessels from the Central Plains of China and personal utensils in the Silla style. The composition of the metal vessels found in the wooden chamber tombs with stonemounds represents the entire process of dining and food consumption, including cooking, personal eating and drinking vessels, and storage vessels. This composition is similar to that of the metal vessels found in large stone-mound tombs in the domestic capital of Koguryo. When viewed in relation to the murals of Koguryo tomb chambers, this arrangement of metal vessels can be interpreted as expressing not only daily life but also rituals of food offerings. This indicates that the metal vessels were not only functional items but also had ceremonial significance tied to food offerings, reflecting the cultural and ritualistic practices of the period as documented in both archaeological finds and mural depictions. The presence of this type of metal vessel composition, which expresses dining and food offerings, was first confirmed in the Southern Mound of Hwangnamdaechong Tomb. Around the time of Cheonmachong Tomb’s construction, changes began to occur in the types and numbers of ceremonial food offering vessels. Koguryo-style metal vessels made in Silla were buried, while ceremonial vessels from the Central Plains of China decreased or disappeared. At the same time, personal eating and drinking vessels shifted from metal to lacquerware, woodenware, and earthenware. From this, it can be inferred that the Koguryo-related metal vessels initially brought into Silla were prestigious items and social artifacts with complex meanings, including food offering rituals and dining, but which lost their social utility due to the change in the relationship between Koguryo and Silla. Ultimately, this change in the composition of the metal vessels buried in wooden chamber tombs with stone-mounds can be seen as a result of the changing relationship between Koguryo and Silla, as well as changes in the perception of death.