Mounded Mnemonics: Tumuli and Collective Memory in Old Silla

Abstract

The present article discusses the mounded tombs of the Maripkan peri-od (356-514) located in the city of Kyŏngju in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula regarding their impact on the collective memory of the early Silla polity. The theoretical framework for the following considera-tions draws from the seminal research of the cultural scientist Jan Ass-mann, who distinguishes between a communicative and cultural memory. It is being argued that one of the motivations for constructing the monu-mental and lavishly equipped graves was the manipulation of communica-tive memory by creating memorable events in the course of the funerary process. The construction of the graves as mounds created spatial refer-ence points in the landscape which affected subsequently the collective long-term or cultural memory. Consequently, it is assumed that the mounds became mnemonic devices for cultural memory and, therefore, crucial factors for the formation and stabilization of the kingdom.

Keywords

• silla
• kyŏngju
• mounded tombs
• collective memory
• elite culture