황남대총 북분 피장자의 성별에 대한 새로운 접근

Abstract

New evidence is presented to argue that the buried person in the Hwangnamdaechong North Mound is a female. The large amount of glass beads found above the gold crown have been argued to be decorations for neck and chest; instead, this paper argues that the glass beads are from wigs. Such beads are not found in the tombs of known to belong to men, such Cheonmachong(천마총) and the Hwangnamdaechong South Mound(황남대총 남분). In addition, historical literature of Silla records that women favored wigs decorated with glass beads. Figure of a spindle whorl is another evidence that supports the female identity of the North Mound. Spindle whorls are mostly buried in female tombs such as Yeanri Tombs, and weaving was a task exclusively undertaken by women in Silla. In addition, spindle whorl figures were included in the Buddhist devotional package for women found in the Bunhwangsa stone box. Also, royal women were in charge of textile manufacture and religious rituals related to agriculture. A small glazed-pottery found in that tomb offers another clue. As perfumes bottles were associated with women, and were considered to be precious, the user is supposed to be of a royal woman. It is similar to the bronze perfume bottle found in the stone box of the Bunhwangsa. The sparse weapons buried in that tomb also indicate a female burial. There was not much armor, and the arrowheads excavated are not the kind used in actual combat. This pattern is similar to the one found in the female burials in Yeanri. The tip of the belt with the inscription ‘夫人帶(Lady belt)’ reinforces the original assessment of a female burial. Contrary to the argument that the belt was not used during the lifetime, four similar silver belts were found in the South Mound. The fact that the material used was silver rather than gold or bronze indicates a status before being promoted to 大夫人(Great Lady). In short, this paper supports the traditional hypothesis that the buried person in the Hwangnamdaechong North Mound is a female, and disagrees with the new opinion that the buried person is a male.