The community remain in Cheonggye-li consists of cave-type residential facilities, storage facilities composed with underground and ground structures, small-scale production facilities composed with kiln and workshop, and a fountain for drinking water...
The community remain in Cheonggye-li consists of cave-type residential facilities, storage facilities composed with underground and ground structures, small-scale production facilities composed with kiln and workshop, and a fountain for drinking water, thus composing a village.
It is located in a hill and therefore presents a universal modality of location for Silla communities in the southern area of Gyeonggi. As it is located in the middle part of a ridge of south-eastern exposure, it reflects the natural elements of shutting out northwesterly wind and maximizing the amount of sunshine. A vast flatland facing the front of community and Osan brook reflects the factors of occupation of which focus is farming. The placement of facilities in the center of community presents the modality of three units. The first unit in the upper part is intensively placed with cave residences and private and household-oriented small-scale storage facilities. The second unit of which slope is gentle is placed with kiln and small-scale workshop and therefore this unit seems to be a place for group work. And the third unit of which topography is flatland is placed with a ground structure―a community storage facility―and a fountain for drinking water.
Residences of cave facilities have a flat rectangular shape in general. However, there are small-scale square-shaped residences and large-scale oval-shaped residences as well. When it is compared with the data of other remains, the scale of living space within a residence is minimal 10~15㎡. Since there is no trace of work in residences, the space of living seems to be used as eating and sleeping only. If the area of eating and sleeping per person is established in 3㎡, 3~5 persons could reside in a residence. Since most of residences are middle-scale rectangular shapes, the average residents in a residence seem to be 4~5 persons. All the residences have a floor heating system except 5 residences. According to the ground pattern of furrows and fireplaces, the floor heating system is classified into 'ㄱ'-shape (Ⅰ), 'T'-shape (Ⅱ), and the shape which furrows winding up both walls of a residence (Ⅲ). The number of furrow row in the floor heating system is classified into 1 row (A) and 2 rows (B). The material of furrow bank is classified into stone (1) and soil and clay (2). The form and scale of floor heating system is very diverse and there is no direct relationship with the ground pattern and scale of residences. This seemingly shows the fact that an efficient floor heating system was not yet established or people freely chose the systems they wanted to establish.
Storage facilities were mostly underground cave structures. Since they are discovered in the vicinities of residences, it seems to be used as individual and household-oriented storages. On the other hand, the ground structures are located in an open area centering on the flat land in front of the community. So they seem to be used as large-scale community storages. As for production facilities, there are three kilns and two workshops. Two kilns are nearly destructed due to the creation of residences and tombs in later ages. The status of preservation of a kiln (the 3rd kiln) is good. Many roof tiles were excavated in the 3rd kiln, together with some earthenware, such as dishes. So it seems not to be exclusively used as a kiln for roof tiles but for roof tiles and earthenware. As only one kiln is used at that time, its use seems not to be for specialized production but to be for self-sufficiency. Regarding its location toward residences, the cave workshop seems to be used jointly. And since the workshop has the traces of ditch and drainage, its ditch has the function of pushing out, and earthenware is not discovered in it, it seems to be the place of repairing farming tools. There is a fountain for drinking water, an important element for the establishment of a community. And many drainage-related ditch-type underground caves are placed here and there within the community area.
As many dishes, mounted dishes, small earthenware and long-neck bottles are discovered in the community, the period of the community is estimated as the 8th century. Since earthenware of printed figures is nearly not discovered and short-neck bottles and striped pattern bottles which were popular in the 9th century are not discovered, it seems to be that the community was established around the 8th century, mainly functioned in the 8th century, and disused around the 9th century. The community seems to consist of about 20 residences and about 100 villagers. The excavated steel farming tools and the conditions of location present that the community's main activities of production are farming and kiln-oriented small-scale manual industry. The community seems to be a naturally formed Unified Silla village in the 8th century, in which villagers can possess property and carry out economical activities individually or in a unit of household and jointly use workshops, large-scale ground storage structures and fountains. Comparing to the record of 'Silla Village Document' which informs us the status of villages in Unified Silla in the 8th century, the scale of Cheonggye-li community is similar to any other villages at that time. If taking the fact that Silla Village Document was to collect taxes into account, the governmental authority in the era of Unified Silla seems to reach even to the naturally formed terminal villages. The management of villages in Unified Silla presents the fact that the central government was successful in controlling even the naturally formed terminal villages after unification. In this regard, the Cheonggye-li community is not exceptional and steel farming tools, such as steel shovels and steel axes, seem to reflect this reality.
If Cheonggye-li community was ruled by the power of Unified Silla and the subject of taxation, it must belong to a gun or a hyeon, a unit of local governmental agency in Unified Silla. Since the system of gun and hyeon was established in the course of unification, its office seems to be placed within a fortress. Preceding studies show that the office of local governmental agency for Cheonggye-li community is seemingly placed in Halmisan Fortress, Doksan Fortress or Mubongsan Fortress. The offices of local governmental agency belonging to these fortresses are Geoseo-hyeon, Suseong-gun and Jinwi-hyeon respectively. When taking the distance from Cheonggye-li community into account, the most plausible location of local governmental office is Doksan Fortress. In other words, Cheonggye-li community is a naturally formed terminal village belonging to Suseong-gun.