The royal tomb of King Muryeong is the representative brick chamber tomb constructed during Ungjin period of Baekje and it is the only tomb in which it was identified who was buried among tombs of Tree Kingdoms. This tomb has been known that it was in...
The royal tomb of King Muryeong is the representative brick chamber tomb constructed during Ungjin period of Baekje and it is the only tomb in which it was identified who was buried among tombs of Tree Kingdoms. This tomb has been known that it was influenced by Liang Dynasty in the architectural features and building materials but there is no reference to brickmaking and construction process. But Jeongdongri, Buyeo was presumed to be the producing area of those bricks because the similarities of shapes and patterns were identified to bricks at the Jeongdongri kiln site, which hereby requires the scientific evidence for provenance and production methods of brick.
Accordingly, this study examined the production techniques and provenance interpretation of bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong with comparision of bricks and soils from neighbouring Songsanri tomb complex and Jeongdongri kiln sites through the physical, mineralogical and geochemical analysis of brick and soil samples. Also, age determination using luminescence method and weathering of bricks were performed.
As a result, most of the bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong has the magnetic susceptibility below 1(×10-3 SI unit) and they turned out to be mainly composed of quartz, plagioclase, alkali feldspar and same properties were identified from bricks of Songsanri and Jeongdongri. In terms of bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong, Songsanri and Jeongdongri, they have been going through geochemically same evolutionary processes because they have the same aspects of changes in major elements, trace elements and rare earth elements and it is judged that soil from Jeongdongri was used for brickmaking of the royal tomb of King Muryeong. But according to excavation sites of bricks, changes of elements such as SiO2, P2O5, MgO, Cu, Cr, V and Zn were observed due to the different refinement of brickmaking. Other bricks from Songsanri tomb complex featured heterogeneous structures while bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong, Songsanri tomb No.6 and Jeongdongri, have the homogeneous composition and structure of clay without macrocrystalline quartz and feldspar which exist in soil. Soils of Jeongdongri has enrichment of iron oxide, organic matter, P and S due to the cultivated layer in flood plain near Geum river. Considering mineralogical and geochemical characteristics, it is presumed that the clay layer(JD-1, 2) was used for brickmaking of the royal tomb of King Muryeong and the enriched iron oxide which is frequently found in bricks can provide the additional evidence to trace the provenance.
It turned out that rectangular bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong, Songsanri tomb No.6 and Jeongdongri kiln site have the size of type Ⅰ(about 30×15㎝) with the same composition. Meanwhile, other bricks from Songsanri tomb complex are type Ⅱa (about 38×20㎝) with different sizes and compositions from type Ⅰ, therefore, it was identified that bricks of the same size have chemically equal compositions. Also, there is a possibility that some bricks from Songsanri tomb complex were produced with type Ⅰ and used for the construction of Songsanri tomb complex because they showed the same size and composition to type Ⅰ. It is judged that the cast of separate type made of wood was used and through the observation of X-ray radiography, it is identified first, clay was filled in the pattern of the cast and pressure was put on it. Next, other parts were filled with clay. From the trace of wood grain left on the brick with inscription, 「Geupsa」, it was identified that there was same cast between bricks of the royal tomb of King Muryeong, Songsanri tomb No.6 and Songsanri tomb complex.
Firing temperatures of brick samples were determined on grounds of changes in mineral composition, thermal analysis, microstructure, color and water absorption on the basis of firing experiments of clay pastes. It is interpreted that two bricks excavated from the royal tomb of King Muryeong and Songsanri tomb complex are unfired raw bricks. Most of the bricks were produced through reduction firing atmosphere and bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong were fired at a temperature of 1,000~1,200℃ and other bricks from Songsanri tomb complex were fired at a temperature of 900~1,000℃. Natural glaze formed by wood ashes was found on some of high-fired bricks and the flow texture by the movement of elements such as Fe and Al and changes in oxidation states was created during firing.
The measurement of ultrasonic velocity showed that bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong and Songsanri tomb No.6 have high ultrasonic velocity of 3,000~5,000㎧ and it is judged that they are durable bricks with compact texture and strength according to the standard durability of clay bricks. From the age determination using luminescence method, brick from Jeongdongri kiln site dated back to AD 510±90, bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong to AD 520±90 and bricks from Songsanri tomb complex to AD 600±80. It turned out bricks from Songsanri tomb complex were produced the latest but they were produced at the same period with one another because they fell to the period range within error bound and therefore it corresponds to the archaeological period range.
Consequently, bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong and Songsanri tomb complex were produced with soil from Jeongdongri but in the case of bricks from the royal tomb of King Muryeong were made of fine-grained clay by removing macrocrystalline larger than 0.5㎜ and fired in the cast of typeⅠ at a temperature of 1,000~1,200℃. But it is also judged that the bricks from Songsanri tomb complex were made of more coarse-grained clay and fired in the cast of typeⅡb at the lower firing temperature in the later times than those from the royal tomb of King Muryeong.