An Introduction to South Korean Salvage Archaeology: An Early Silla Cemetery Site, Chadang-ri

Located in Yeongcheon, the southeast region of the Korean peninsula, the Chadang-ri site is an early Silla cemetery (ca. 450-500 CE). This project has been ongoing since May (2022) and conducted by the cultural resource management (CRM) firm, Daehan Institute of Cultural Properties. This site is approximately 4,606 square meters, and around 40 tombs have been identified. The tombs of early Silla consist of many styles, such as 1) wooden chamber tomb, 2) wooden chamber tomb with a stone mound, 3) stone-lined tomb, and 4) stone chamber tomb. Those buried in these tombs are hypothesized to be high-status individuals based on the evidence of high-quality burial goods such as gold earrings and protection stones. With the high density of tombs and the various tomb styles, this site has been incredibly useful in understanding early Silla tomb culture within the outskirts of the kingdom. Chadang-ri site is one of many salvage excavation projects conducted in South Korea. Therefore, to understand South Korea’s archaeological data better, it is necessary to understand the context in which the project was started and the goals of each stakeholder. This presentation will share the contents of the Chadang-ri site from excavations from May until August and explain the process of South Korean salvage archaeology.