Unusual toilet causes sensation at 1,000-year-old palace excavation in Korea

Korean archaeologists have resolved a long-running dispute over the location of Donggung, the residence of the Silla crown prince, during excavations in Gyeongju, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported .

Gyeongju, now a city in South Korea, was the center of the Silla Kingdom, which existed from 57 BCE to 935 CE. At the very center of the city was Wolseong, a palace complex where the royal family lived and government offices were located.

The palace buildings are partially preserved, as is the artificial pond Wolchi. However, archaeologists and historians have been breaking spears for decades on the topic of where exactly to look for the residence of the crown prince, Tonggun.

Historical sources such as the Samguk Sagi record that Silla King Munmu completed the unification of Korea in 679 and built Donggung, which symbolized the strengthening of royal power and the adoption of the Chinese system of succession.

Until recently, it was believed that Tongyong was located to the west of Wolchi. However, during excavations, archaeologists came to a completely different conclusion: Tongyong was located to the east of the pond. It was there that the remains of a complex toilet system with drainage and other valuable artifacts dating back to the Unified Silla period were found.

Now scientists are sure that the eastern part of Wolseong, with large royal buildings, was intended for the crown prince, and the western part was the residence of the king himself.

Excavations at the site, which began in 2014, have yielded many astonishing finds. In 2017, a perfectly shaped ivory cube was discovered, and in 2022, a piece of gold foil microscopically carved with birds and flowers was discovered. It is an example of incredible craftsmanship: the carvings are thinner than a human hair.

But one of the most sensational discoveries is, of course, the stone flush toilet, a unique example of engineering. "It is an early example of a complex plumbing system, supporting the idea that the structure is royal," explained Kim Kyung-yeol of the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, who has been working on the excavation project since 2014.

The archaeological work continues, and it is likely that it will take generations to uncover all the secrets of this historic site. According to the Korean Heritage Service, the excavations are expected to continue for at least another 50 years.