Cheonjeon-ri Dolmens

A dolmen is a representative tomb of the Bronze Age, also called a goindol, and is known mainly as the tomb of the ruling class with economic power or political authority. Dolmens in Korea are divided into the table type, where four support stones are erected to create a burial chamber above ground and a large, flat capstone is placed on top, and the checkerboard type, where a burial chamber is made underground, small support stones are erected, and a capstone is placed on top. These dolmens in Cheonjeon-ri, Chuncheon, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, are of the table type. During excavation, 10 dolmens were found in a group, but only 5 remain today. The capstones measure about 2.6 to 2.2 meters in length, the support stones are 1.12 meters high, and a large number of artifacts including three stone arrowheads, tubular beads, and plain pottery fragments have been excavated. The discovery of a group of dolmens in the Cheonjeon-ri area of Chuncheon indicates that a tribal society had already formed in the Chuncheon Basin. Additionally, it suggests that the people used plain pottery and engaged in agricultural life along the Soyang River, making this site an important relic for the study of Korea's prehistoric period.

(Source: National Heritage Administration website)