Tracing the historical origin of Joseon mummies considering the structural similarities between the burial systems of Korean and Chinese dynasties

Abstract

Joseon mummies have proved to be excellent subjects for scientific research on the health and disease statuses of pre-modern Korean peoples. Despite its academic significance, the origins of the Hoegwakmyo tomb in which the Joseon mummy was discovered have not yet been entirely revealed. Meanwhile, over the past several decades, there have been some reports on mummies and cultural artifacts preserved very well in the tombs of several Chinese dynasties (especially Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing). Although the Chinese tombs were very diverse in structure, we note that some graves among them were structurally very similar to Joseon Hoegwakmyo tombs. Before the Hoegwakmyo tomb in Korea, there were already similar tombs in China, inside which dead persons were mummified like the Joseon mummies. Considering that the Hoegwakmyo tomb of the Joseon Dynasty was established by the influence of the Confucian ideology, the Korean and Chinese mummies might share common cultural origins in history.

Mummification in Korea and China: Mawangdui, Song, Ming and Joseon Dynasty Mummies

“…In the Jujagare , the Hoegwakmyo tomb was recommended as the ideal Confucianist gentlemen's burial. The ruling class of the Joseon Dynasty assimilated this concept and the Hoegwakmyo tomb became their elective type of grave [ 5 , 43 ]. However, what has become also evident nowadays is that the Joseon people did not want their corpses to be mummified.…”

“…Since there is a close relationship between the ancient Korean people and Confucianism, researchers hypothesized that similar tombs and mummies were present in China, the country where Confucianism originated [ 5 ]. Interestingly, Chinese archaeologists reported that some graves dating to the Song and Ming dynasties were completely sealed by a mixture of lime, yellow clay soil, sand, and sticky rice water.…”

“…Interestingly, Chinese archaeologists reported that some graves dating to the Song and Ming dynasties were completely sealed by a mixture of lime, yellow clay soil, sand, and sticky rice water. These tombs were called ‘ sticky rice paste (or soup) sealed tomb' [ 5 , 45 ]. In this regard, the Korean Hoegwakmyo tomb was very similar to the Chinese ‘ sticky rice paste (or soup) sealed tomb' (Figures 5(a) and 5(b) ).…”

“…According to the Chinese archaeological reports, the earliest sticky rice paste (or soup) sealed tomb so far discovered is the Sun Siniangzi mu (tomb) in the city of Jiangyin (Jiangsu province). The grave contained the mummified body of the wife of a Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127 CE) bureaucrat [ 5 , 46 ]. Since the Sun Siniangzi mu was constructed in 1055 CE, the origin of the sticky rice paste (or soup) sealed tomb can be placed at the beginning-middle 11 th century.…”

“…East Asian mummies are culturally and biomedically so unique that extensive dissemination of cutting-edge research is paramount. Except for short introductions and sporadic reports [ 2 , 4 , 5 ], however, a review containing perfect data about the East Asian mummies is still lacking. And western researchers' knowledge of East Asian mummies has remained sketchy until recently.…”