Silla Period Stele Discovered in Hŭnghae, P'ohang
The Kyŏngju (Gyeongju) branch of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (affiliated with the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea) has possession of a stone stele believed to have been made in the ancient Silla kingdom. The stele was found in Puk-ku, Hŭnghae-ŭp, Haksŏng-ni in the city of P’ohang, and is viewed as a source that illuminates the history of that region.
The Haksŏng-ni stele of P’ohang (a tentative name) was found accidently by a local resident who had intended to make private use of the large flat stone. After washing the stone he discovered inscribed writing, so he reported his discovery to the P’ohang city government. Afterward, P’ohang city officials informed the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, and officials from the Kyŏngju branch of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage were dispatched to the site to inspect and transfer the object to the institute.
The Haksŏng-ni stele of P’ohang is an irregularly shaped native rock (granite, maximum length 104cm, thickness 12-13cm, weight 115kg), with writing in Chinese script engraved on one side. The stele was found 8 km east of where the Naengsu-ri stele of Yŏngil was previously been unearthed. Twelve rows of characters have been verified thus far, and there are at most 20 characters in each row. About 200 of the characters are entirely readable. Except for a 20 cm margin at the bottom of the stele, all other portions of the stone face are covered with characters. Although part of the upper portion of the stele has suffered damage, the majority of its inscription is legible.
In this context, it is worth noting that among the characters that have been verified are those reading kyo 敎, Sahwe-bu 沙喙部, Kori-ch’on 古利村, Tosa 道使, Sain 使人, Agan-ji 阿干支 (one of the seventeen official ranks of Silla), and characters representing sexigesimal dates. In particular, a reference to the cyclical year sin-sa 辛巳 provides a valuable clue as to the date of the stele’s construction: based on the contents of the inscription, the stele is believed to have been made in the sixth century AD (the sin-sa cyclical corresponds to the years 501 and 561). In the text of this stele appear official rank titles such as Agan-ji 阿干支 and Sagan-ji 沙干支, which also appear in the stele commemorating the expeditions of King Chinhŭng in Ch’angnyŏng (dated to 561), where they are written instead as Ajŏk-kan 阿尺干 and Sajŏk-kan 沙尺干. This comparison suggests that the Haksŏng-ni stele was created in 501 rather than 561.
It is difficult to ascertain the exact original location in which the Haksŏng-ni stele was set up due to the fact that it had been removed from its original location and because the original environment has been changed due to the construction of roads.
The stele is currently undergoing treatment for preservation at the Kyŏngju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, which plans to take subsequent measures to ensure preservation. In addition, to further discussion of this discovery, the Institute plans to publish a volume to provide details about the stele and its inscription and to hold an academic symposium after examination by specialists.
Park Soyeon (muse@asiae.co.kr) Asiaeconomy Newspaper
For further information, contact Park Jung-Ik, Gyeongju national Research Institute of Cultural Heritage
September 15 2009.
A newspaper article (in Korean) is here.