Yangju Daemosanseong Fortress

Daemosanseong Fortress, located near the Yangju Byeolsandae Nori Madang, is a ridge-top stone fortress built in a circular pattern around the summit of Daemosan Mountain (elevation 212m), which straddles Yuyang-dong and Baekseok-eup in Yangju-si. This fortress is presumed to be Maechosangseong, where in 675 (the 15th year of King Munmu of Silla) a great victory was achieved by defeating a large Tang army, leading to the completion of the unification of the Three Kingdoms. Situated at a strategic transportation junction connecting the Imjin River and Han River basins, it served as a key defensive strongpoint and administrative center for protecting multiple regions. The elliptical fortress walls measure approximately 1.4 km in circumference and 4–5 m in height. About 70–80 m of walls remain well-preserved at three locations, including the left and right sides of the north gate site and the eastern side, but most other sections have collapsed. Three gate sites have been identified, and inside the fortress, several flat areas presumed to be building sites and five wells have been found. Artifacts have been excavated from within building sites and around gate sites, with Baekje and Silla artifacts from the Three Kingdoms period being predominant, along with artifacts from Unified Silla, Goryeo, and Joseon periods distributed throughout. The current walls are presumed to have been built by Silla and used through the Goryeo and Joseon periods, but the discovery of many Baekje-style earthenware north of the north gate site suggests that defensive structures such as earthen ramparts or wooden palisades existed before the stone walls were constructed.