calendar>>September 3. 2010 Juch 99
Koguryo Tomb with Murals Discovered
Pyongyang, September 3 (KCNA) -- Researchers of the Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences of the DPRK recently discovered a Koguryo tomb with murals unique in its style believed to belong to late in the 4th century or early in the 5th century in the area of Tongsan-dong, Raknang District, Pyongyang.

The earth-covered stone tomb 12.8 meters in length and 2~2.4 meters in width extends north and south. It has an inner passage, a front section, two rooms on its left and right sides, a passage between rooms, an inner section and others.

The front section is 240 centimeters in length, 210 centimeters in width and 330 centimeters in height. The size of each room on the left and right sides of the tomb is 80 centimeters in length, 72 centimeters in width and 115 centimeters in height. Their ceilings are supported with vaulted triangular props and parallel triangular props.

Unearthed in the tomb were bones of three persons, petal and dome style ornaments made of pure gold, circular silver ornaments, jagged gilt-bronze ornaments, coffin nails, pottery, lion-shaped celadon, bronze coins and others.

A picture of long procession is seen on both walls of the inner passage and red pillars, a custodian leader and various other patterns are done in relief on the walls of the front section, passage between rooms and the inner section.

Depicted above the painting showing the long procession are five persons and four horses, the body and legs of an iron-clad horse in its middle and only part of a man's head is seen over it.

Portrayed in its lower part are men with dark coifs on their heads carrying things like long spears with them.

Seen on the western wall of the inner passage are a wheel and a man on a horse. Very vivid are the eyes and mustache of the man wearing an official's headgear and horse's mane.

The tomb was built by way of alternately mixing lime, charcoal and clay with each other which is distinct from other tombs.

This tomb is comparatively large in size and peculiar in its style, when compared with other Koguryo mural tombs known so far.

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