Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in South Korea, uncovering the remains of a male military commander from the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) along with fragments of his gilt-bronze crown, body armor, and helmet. This marks the first time such complete military artifacts from a Silla commander have been found, representing a major breakthrough in the study of this ancient Korean kingdom.
The remarkable artifacts were discovered in the first outer coffin tomb dating back to the 4th and 5th centuries, located beneath a royal burial mound in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The excavation was conducted by the Korea Heritage Service working in partnership with the city of Gyeongju at the Hwangnam-dong No. 120 tomb site, which is a large wooden chamber tomb covered by layers of stone and earth.
Below this structure, archaeologists confirmed the existence of an earlier outer coffin tomb where they found the male commander's skeleton alongside a long sword, which is believed to indicate his elite military status. "This is a rare moment, showing the public a complete set of a commander's armor for both man and horse," said Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min during an on-site press briefing on Monday. "It's an invaluable opportunity to witness a historic reality – even the commander's teeth were found."
The discovery has been strategically timed to coincide with the 2025 APEC Summit, and both the burial site and artifacts will be made available for public viewing from October 27 to November 1. The main chamber of the Hwangnam-dong No. 1 outer coffin tomb contained the commander's remains and weapons, while an adjacent chamber held what researchers believe to be the skeleton of a chamberlain who served the commander closely during his lifetime and was buried alongside him in what's known as a retainer sacrifice.
One of the most significant aspects of this discovery is the rare example of horse armor found at the site – only the second of its kind ever discovered in a Silla tomb. This finding provides researchers with a much clearer picture of Silla's heavy cavalry units and military organization during the 5th century. "Analyzing the wear on the teeth, we estimate the commander was about 30 years old," explained Lee Min-hyung, a researcher with the Silla Cultural Heritage Research Institute. "Traces of a human figure were also detected above the horse saddle, though only faint remains exist."
The armor set itself provides crucial insights into the military hierarchy and craftsmanship of the time period. Researchers have noted that the lower portion of the armor was constructed from leather, a design that differs from a similar discovery made in 2009. This variation reflects both the wearer's high status and the functional considerations of military equipment. "This is only the second set of Silla armor confirmed so far," said a researcher involved in the excavation. "The leather components suggest attempts at making the armor lighter, while also indicating the extremely high status of the wearer – likely one of the top commanders of his time."
Perhaps most significantly, the gilt-bronze crown fragments discovered in the tomb may represent the oldest examples of their kind yet found from the Silla period. The decorative elements featured on the crown show striking similarities to those found in artifacts from the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 BC-AD 668), suggesting important cultural exchanges or direct influence between these two ancient Korean kingdoms during this historical period.
"When we excavated the Hwangnamdaechong tomb earlier, earrings believed to be made in Goguryeo were found in the queen's burial site," noted Kim Hun-suk, a researcher at the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage. "Now, similar patterns appear in this crown, further indicating Goguryeo's influence on Silla during the period of the tomb's construction."
This extraordinary discovery provides new illumination on the significant transition in Silla burial practices, showing the evolution from simpler wooden coffins to more complex stone-covered tomb structures. The find offers rare and invaluable archaeological insights into the elite ruling class and military hierarchy of early Silla society, helping historians and archaeologists better understand the sophisticated culture and military organization that characterized this ancient Korean kingdom during its formative centuries.
