There are 14 fortress remains in Gyungju area which were made in Silla period. 8 of them are also seen on the historical documents such as Samguksagi. In this article, Ⅰ sought to make sure when and how Silla's capital defense system was fully equip...
There are 14 fortress remains in Gyungju area which were made in Silla period. 8 of them are also seen on the historical documents such as Samguksagi. In this article, Ⅰ sought to make sure when and how Silla's capital defense system was fully equipped. The results of the survey are as follows.
The earliest fortress was Wolsung, which is located in the center of Silla's capital area. It was built in the late 3rd or the early 4th century. Dodangsan-tosung to the south of Wolsug and Myunghwalsansung to the northeast of it are supposed to have been made no later than in the 4th century following Wolsung. During the 5th century, Namsan-tosung in the capital area and Jaksung and Kusung at the suburb area were built as the key military bases for the defense of Gyungju. Especially in the late 5th century when Koguryo was pressing Silla militarily, Yangdongri-sung and Pukhyungsansung may have been made for the purpose of defending the northern area of the capital.
The 6th century was the time when the frame of Silla's capital defense system was accomplished. Seohyungsansung, Myunghwalsansung and Namsansinsung were re-made with stone, respectively in the west, east, and south of the capital area.
And in the 7th century, the big stone-made fortresses such as Busansung and Kohuhsung were built in the suburb area. In the same period, most fortresses in the capital's mountainous area were newly extended. In the early 8th century, a great wall called Gwanmunsung was built near Ulsan to the south of Gyungju, which represented the diplomatic tension with Japan.