The Gyeongju National Museum () is a museum in Gyeongju, South Korea. Its holdings are largely devoted to relics of the Silla kingdom, of which Gyeongju was the capital.
The museum is located immediately adjacent to the royal tomb complex, in an area which also includes the Gyerim forest, Cheomseongdae observatory, Banwolseong palace, and Anapji Pond.
History
The museum was first founded in 1945 as the Gyeongju Branch of National Museum of Korea. The main building of the museum was built in 1968. The museum was upgraded as "Gyeongju National Museum" in 1975 and has been under expansion since then.
Collections
There are a number of national museums in key locations across Korea, but the collection of this museum is especially important because it allows the general public, archaeologists, and historians to understand the rise of civilization in southeast Korea. The museum contains important items of national cultural heritage. They include the Emille Bell, which is said to ring with the sound of a child who was sacrificed for its casting. There are several Silla crowns in the museum's collection. The museum also holds many artifacts excavated from Anapji Pond and artifacts excavated from the Hwangnyongsa Temple site. Many holdings are displayed outdoors, a common practice in Korean museums.
The volume of archaeological and historical artifacts in the collection of the Gyeongju National Museum is so large that most of the objects cannot be displayed and are thus stored out of the view of the general public. The Gyeongju National Museum has maintained an archaeological research department for decades, and staff there have conducted numerous field surveys and excavations in North Gyeongsang Province. This role has lessened with the onset of government-funded 'buried cultural heritage research centres' (ko:매장문화재조사연구소) across Korea since the mid-1990s. However, the role of the museum as a centre of cultural heritage conservation was enhanced when the Korean government built a large warehouse on the museum site in the early 2000s to house the mountains of archaeological material unearthed continuously from Gyeongju and across North Gyeongsang Province.
Gallery
<gallery>
Image:Bell of King Seongdeok.jpg|Emille Bell
Image:Korea-Gyeongju.National.Museum-09.jpg
Image:Korea-Gyeongju.National.Museum-14.jpg
Image:Bangudae Petroglyphs.jpg|Bangudae Petroglyphs
Image:Korea-Gyeongju.National.Museum-15.jpg
Image:Ornamented_Sword_from_Gyerim-ro,_Gyeongju.jpg|Ornamented Sword from Gyerim-ro, Gyeongju
File:Korea-Gyeongju.National.Museum-12.jpg
File:Group of gilt-bronze Buddhist plaques from Anapji.jpg
File:Constantin6.jpg
Image:Silla gold 4.jpg
Image:Silla gold 5.jpg
File:GyeongjuHorseBuckles.jpg
File:GyeongjuGoldEarrings.jpg
File:Bifyu 7.jpg
File:Standing_Gilt-bronze_Bhaisajyaguru_Buddha_of_Baengnyulsa_Temple(백률사_금동약사여래입상).jpg
File:Gyeongju National Museum -4.JPG
File:Gold crown from Cheonmachong.jpg
File:Silla Kingdom-Golden hat at Cheonmachong in Gyeongju, Korea.jpg
Image:금관총 금제 허리띠.jpg
File:Wise Man Figurine, Gyeongju Museum.jpg|Wise Man Figurine
File:Ancient Korean jugs.JPG|Ancient Korean jugs
File:GyeongjuStatue.jpg
File:Long-necked jar with figurines (토우장식 장경호) 03.jpg
File:Long-necked jar.Silla. Gyeongju National Museum.jpg
Horse Headguard.jpg|Horse headguard
</gallery>
See also
- Tourism in Gyeongju
- List of museums
References
External links
- Official website