Bio-Anthropological Studies on Human Skeletons from the 6th Century Tomb of Ancient Silla Kingdom in South Korea

Abstract

In November and December 2013, unidentified human skeletal remains buried in a mokgwakmyo (a traditional wooden coffin) were unearthed while conducting an archaeological investigation near Gyeongju, which was the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE– 660 CE) of ancient Korea. The human skeletal remains were preserved in relatively intact condition. In an attempt to obtain biological information on the skeleton, physical anthropological, mitochondrial DNA, stable isotope and craniofacial analyses were carried out. The results indicated that the individual was a female from the Silla period, of 155 ± 5 cm height, who died in her late thirties. The maternal lineage belonged to the haplogroup F1b1a, typical for East Asia, and the diet had been more C3- (wheat, rice and potatoes) than C4-based (maize, millet and other tropical grains). Finally, the face of the individual was reconstructed utilizing the skull (restored from osseous fragments) and three-dimensional computerized modeling system. This study, applying multi-dimensional approaches within an overall bio-anthropological analysis, was the first attempt to collect holistic biological information on human skeletal remains dating to the Silla Kingdom period of ancient Korea.

Ancient Soil-Transmitted Parasite Eggs Detected from the Sixth Century Three Kingdom Period Silla Tomb

“…eggs is the earliest among the ancient tombs for which we have found positive paleoparasitological results thus far. Since the individual found within the coffin was, judging from the status of the accompanying cultural remains, a member of the lower Silla nobility, 13 this report also can be the first direct evidence of soil-transmitted parasitic infection among Three Kingdom period nobility. Considering the life cycle of soil-transmitted parasites, this means that even Silla nobles might have ingested foods or contacted soils seriously contaminated by human feces or derivative materials.…”

“…The archaeological and anthropological progress on this case is summarized in our previous report. 13 …”