The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 14th that the ‘Hampyeong Yeduk-ri Tomb Cluster’ has been designated as the first nationally designated cultural heritage site in Hampyeong-gun.
The Hampyeong Yeduk-ri Tomb Cluster consists of ancient tombs from the Mahan period, built from the late 3rd century to the early 5th century. It retains the early appearance of tombs in the Yeongsan River basin and comprises a total of 14 tombs.
Among the Mahan tombs identified at Gomakwoncheon, a tributary of the Yeongsan River, the Hampyeong Yeduk-ri Tomb Cluster is superior in size and number, and is considered early in terms of period, making it of high academic value. Artifacts showing the lifestyles of the time, along with traces of the religious beliefs, have been discovered. It also provides insight into the construction techniques of the Mahan era.
Additionally, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced the registration of ‘Anatomy’, a Korean medical textbook from Jejungwon, as a registered cultural heritage. Jejungwon, established by the government in 1885 at the end of the Joseon Dynasty, was the first hospital in Korea, and ‘Anatomy’ is a book published directly by Jejungwon.
This book is a representative resource that shows the state of early education when Western medicine was first introduced to Korea. It consists of three volumes and provides a comprehensive explanation of the basic structure of the human body, the functions of major organs, and the mechanisms of the human body.
In particular, it is notable for explaining medical terms in easy-to-understand native Korean instead of relying on Chinese characters or foreign languages. For example, the heart is written as ‘염통’ (yeomtong), and the stomach as ‘밥통’ (baptong), exemplifying the process of modern medical knowledge being translated and popularized in the Korean language, which is also of great linguistic historical value.
A representative from the Cultural Heritage Administration stated, “We aim to continuously discover and register cultural heritage from various fields so that it can be enjoyed by the public.”