Earthen Rammed Structure Confirmed at Pungnap Toseong... Confirms Rammed Earth Fortress

Traces of Inner Circulation Road Found Inside Seoseong Wall... Investigation Results to Be Announced on the 28th

Traces of Rammed Earth Structures

Traces of a rammed earth structure and a road built along the fortress wall were confirmed at Pungnap Toseong in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The National Ganghwa Cultural Heritage Research Institute announced on the 26th that it achieved this result through an excavation at the restoration site of the west fortress wall of Pungnap Toseong.

Wide view of the excavation site at the restoration area of the Seoseong Wall of Pungnap Toseong Fortress

As is well known, Pungnap Toseong was constructed by layering earth using the rammed earth technique. Rammed earth refers to the process of assembling rectangular rammed earth structures and alternately piling different types of soil inside. The research team discovered for the first time the continuous overlapping of rectangular rammed earth blocks, which are the rammed earth units, at the west fortress wall, as well as the rammed earth structure built to stack these blocks. They also found road remains within the fortress, known as the internal circulation road inside the west fortress wall. This was a passage used by Baekje people connected to the fortress gate, with wheel marks from carts and footprints of horses and cattle left on the surface. The wheel marks are estimated to be 1.2 to 1.8 meters in diameter, and the width of the contact surface with the road is estimated to be 8 to 15 cm. The existing road trace is 6 meters wide, but it is analyzed that it was actually wider. An official stated, "It is presumed that goods brought in through the west gate of Pungnap Toseong were transported inside on carts pulled by cattle and horses."

Cow footprints and cart wheel tracks observed on the road surface

To commemorate this achievement, the National Ganghwa Cultural Heritage Research Institute will hold an academic conference titled "Unveiling the Secrets of Pungnap Toseong Construction Techniques" at the Hanseong Baekje Museum at 10 a.m. on the 28th. They will present the excavation results and highlight construction techniques by era. From the 9th to the 11th of next month, the excavation site will also be open to the public.