Silla’s palace, Stone Lush Hoodet found –

Excavations of the Walsun Palace Complex in the Joseon Dynasty discovered the location of the East Port Palace, the residence of the East Palace Dynasty, equipped with a flushable restroom system. Chronicle of the 12th Century Samguk Sagi noted that Silla King Munmu (661-681) built Donggung in 679, but its precise location was not recorded.

Archaeologists believe it is located west of Wolji, an artificial pond that is part of the palace complex, but a comprehensive excavation of the area that begins in 2022 has found that the remains on the west side of the pond are the main royal palace. The extension of the crown prince is not the palace. When they dug the eastern side of the pond, they found the remains of a large building whose toilet system dates back to the unified Silla period (AD 668-935). Its size and height are different from the Royal Palace and its extensions, but its size is close to the royal palace and high-end facilities such as the toilet system, which is the first of its kind at the site, labeling it as the palace of the Crown Prince.

Since 2014, archaeologists have been digging the palace complex every year and have unearthed famous artifacts, including fragments of a tiny but spectacular pure gold leaf engraved with birds and flowers. Another valuable and rare artifact was found on the site, actually before the Kingdom of Silla: a lacquered wooden box containing a rock crystal necklace.

The researchers say that in the context of religion or etiquette, this lacquered box may be a high-status product.

“The original string of this necklace is still intact and well preserved,” said Kim Gyeong-Yeol of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage.

The ritual venues are intentionally arson after the ceremony, based on artifact conditions and burn marks in the surrounding area, a practice that is often associated with ancient rituals of purification, the researchers said.