Evolution and Construction Sequence of the Stone Chambers of the Sabi Baekje Royal Tombs

This paper aims to classify the stone chamber structures of the royal tombs of Baekje’s Sabi period and to compare the grave goods in order to establish the relative sequence of the individual tombs. Five types of stone chambers were identified by combining ceiling structure with doorway length. The Joonghachong Tomb, which is almost identical to the Tomb of King Muryeong, is the earliest. Joongang Tomb No. 7, which shares structural attributes with the Ssangneung Tomb of Iksan, is the latest. The diversity of stone chamber structures is interpreted as being associated with social hierarchy. The detailed chronological positions of the tombs were determined by the grave goods. The central date of the controversial Donghachong Tomb falls around the third quarter of the 6th century. The slanted support ceiling of the stone chamber appears as a transitional structure in East Tomb No. 4; its initial form was created in West Tomb No. 4 and then finalized in the Dongsangchong Tomb. The Dongsangchong Tomb is regarded as that of King Widock and his queen. The typical slanted support ceiling of the stone chamber came to be widely adopted from this point on (first quarter of the 7th century), accompanied by strong regulations applied to the nobility. Royal tombs were usually built from the bottom to the top of mountain ridges, separated by shallow valleys. In the eastern burial ground, however, these rules do not apply exactly. This may be due to terrain factors that have not yet been identified. Furthermore, based on the structural features of the stone chambers, it may be that the eastern burial ground was for royalty closely related to the royal family, while the western burial ground was reserved for the wives of kings. In conclusion, it can be established that a new structural element of the stone chamber was “created” in the central burial ground, the space of reigning kings. In the eastern and western burial grounds, which represent a lower level, tombs that “mimicked” or were “regulated by” royal tombs can be observed.