[Exclusive] 'Silla gold crown = death mask' theory is a delusion, says archaeologist

A prominent Korean archaeologist has put forth a groundbreaking argument challenging the widely accepted theory that ancient Silla gold crowns were used as death masks. For over 70 years, the prevailing interpretation has been that these crowns were placed entirely over the faces of deceased royalty. However, Professor Shim Hyun-chul of Keimyung University contends that this notion is a "clear delusion" and that the controversy should finally end.

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The 'death mask theory' that Silla royalty had gold crowns placed entirely on their faces is clearly a delusion. The controversy should end now.

Professor Shim's research, set to be presented at an academic conference, focuses on the placement of gold crowns (geumgwan) found in Silla-era tombs. The traditional "death mask" theory posits that the crowns, with their elaborate branch-like decorations, covered most of the face and upper shoulders of the deceased. This idea gained traction from discoveries where the crowns appeared flattened and positioned over the facial area. However, Shim's extensive analysis of the excavation sites of various Silla tombs, including Seobongchong, Geumnyeongchong, Hwangnamdaechong, Cheonmachong, and the Yangsan couple's tomb, reveals a consistent pattern that contradicts this theory.

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The crowns were not worn on the face like death masks; their placement is a result of misinterpreting the location of chest ornaments or necklaces.

Across these sites, Shim observed that earrings (isik) are invariably found neatly placed directly below the crown's band (gwandae), followed by chest ornaments (hyungsik) further down. If the crowns were indeed worn as death masks, the earrings would logically be found within or above the crown, not beneath it. The flattening of the crowns, Shim explains, is not due to them being worn over a face but is a result of the immense pressure from the soil and stones within the burial mounds after interment. He points out that no documented case shows the crown band extending below the eyebrows of the deceased.

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In any tomb, earrings are found neatly placed just below the crown band, followed by chest ornaments below them.

Shim attributes the persistence of the "death mask" theory to misinterpretations by early excavators, including Japanese scholars during the colonial period and subsequent Korean archaeologists. He argues that the assumption that these crowns were fragile, hastily made funerary items led to a reinforced misjudgment over decades. While the exact usage of the crowns, whether worn in daily life or solely as burial items, remains a subject of debate, Shim asserts with certainty that their function was not as death masks covering the face.

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If the crowns were worn as death masks on the face, the earrings should be found inside or above the crown, not below.