Spatial Organization of the Iksan Ssangneung Neungwon: A GIS-Based Visual Analysis

This study examines the spatial organization of the Iksan Ssangneung neungwon, a late Baekje royal tomb precinct located in Iksan, southwestern Korea, and associated with the Sabi period. It analyzes visual differentiation, defined here as the graded variation in visual relationships between the Daewangneung and the Sowangneung along a movement sequence. The study uses an integrated GIS-based analysis of terrain, hydrology, and movement-based visual differentiation. A ridge-based approach sequence is defined using topographic and hydrological criteria, and observation points are generated at fixed intervals. Construct Sight Lines analysis measures vertical prominence, angular separation, and visual intensity, which are integrated into a composite index. The results show that, within this modeled ridge-based approach scenario, visual differentiation is unevenly distributed along the approach sequence. Composite values increase toward a restricted central segment of the modeled route and decrease toward the transitional and outer segments. The highest values coincide with the burial mounds and the Seogwangdong architectural locus. Movement along the ridge is associated with intensified visual differentiation centered on the Daewangneung, whereas the architectural locus appears to create a local viewing condition in which the visual contrast between the two mounds is moderated. The results suggest that, within this route-dependent reconstruction, spatial organization can be examined as a measurable pattern of graded visual differentiation shaped by topography, hydrology, movement, and locally differentiated viewing conditions.