Gyeongju ─ The Capital of Golden Silla

Kyongju was the capital of the Kingdom of Silla in Korea, from about the fourth century to the tenth century. The city grew from a loose confederation of villages called Saro, to become the capital of most of the Korean peninsula. The Silla aristocracy accepted Buddhism from China, and became one of the Korean groups that introduced Buddhism to Japan. The city produced astounding amounts of gold, with gold crowns, gold belts, and gold necklaces, bracelets, earrings, toe rings and finger rings in the fourth to sixth centuries. The populace was divided into ranks, called Bone Ranks. Only the Holy Bone could rule, but the True Bone helped to run the government. Yet through all this, evidence of the nomadic roots of the city’s people cannot be denied, surviving in the shamanistic gold crowns and the worship of white horses.

In this volume, the history of this fascinating city, rich in archaeological discoveries, is charted from its earliest periods through its zenith as capital of a brilliant golden era, to Silla‘s eventual unification of the whole Korean peninsula.Kyongju is crucial reading for anyone interested in the city, the kingdon of Silla, the history and archaeology of Korea, and early urbanism and state formation in East Asia.

Sarah Milledge Nelson is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Denver, USA.