Talk:Pungnaptoseong

More needed
We could use more information about the basis for the connection between Pungnap and Wiryeseong. Weren't there additional excavations in 1963? What did they find? -- Visviva 1 July 2005 14:35 (UTC)

Refer to: http://hangang.seoul.go.kr/eng/history/h_cluture02.html

Recently, as the excavation of its walls and its internal structures is going on, though partly, the possibility of the fortress which is likely to be 'Hanam Wiraeseong', the royal fortress of the early Baekje era, is increasing. According to the book 'Samkuksagi' or 'the History of the Three Kingdoms', it is said that king On-jo set set up the capital at 'Hanam Wiraeseong' to follow his subjects who said that since the land of Hanam was along Hangang to the north, located in the high mountain to the east, faced wetland to the south and was blocked by the open sea to the west, it would be much better to set up the capital at here Consequently, the possibility of Pungnaptoseong being the site for Hanam Wiraeseong is getting stronger.

Especially, in 1999, Pungnaptoseong was identified not only to be a huge size of 40m wide and from 9 to 5m high but also to be built with clay bricks at the result of the examination by cutting some part of the east wall of it. It was proved that the fortress was built between 200 BC and 200 AD through the results of radiocarbon dating of woods and charcoals found during the course of examination. Moreover, some relics and remains, such as 呂-shaped housing site, head bones of horse, earthenware where letters of '大夫' were inscribed, tiles, cornerstones and materials for a large architectural structure, were discovered at 4m deep underground. With this, this assertion that Pungnaptoseong is the same as Hanam Wiraeseong' is very persuasive.

Meanwhile, Pungnaptoseong was originally considered as the fortress piled up clay bricks in the way of its construction and its section consisted of only fine sand without stones. It explains that the fortress was built layer by layer with clay bricks. Especially, considering that the work of building such size of a fortress needed the authority of power that could mobilize hundreds of thousand or millions' manpower, at the result of the examination by cutting the east wall of it, it is possible that the time when Baekje dynasty grew into ancient nation was moved up 400 years from the 3rd century. It also means that the early records of the book 'Samkuksagi' should be approved as the historical facts. Therefore, the clarification of its characteristics would porvide both important clues for understanding the history of ancient Korea as a whole and one of Baekje.

The current figure of Pungnaptoseong was formed by improving it from 1976 to 1978. In May 2000, the Committee for Cultural Assets Preservation decided not only to officially designate the site of construction for the coalition martial art center inside the fortress as historical site but also to preserve it, while Seoul Metropolitan Government is planning to improve and restore Pungnaptoseong through the gradual purchasing the private lands inside it.

--Barbie October 6, 2005