The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage began as two major task force teams to excavate King Michu's tomb area in 1973 and historic monuments around Gyeongju in 1975. It was officially launched as a national institute in 1990 to conduct research to attain academic information needed for the restoration of the old capital of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. - A.D. 935). Through planned and emergency surveys, the institute also provides basic academic information needed for the preservation and management of cultural properties in the broader Silla region.
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 Excavation of Wolseong Moats
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The moats around Wolseong, the Moon Fortress which was the main palace of the Silla Dynasty through much of its millennium-long rule (Historic Site No. 16), were built for defense and landscape. As a result of surveys and excavations conducted since 1984, the moats were found to have evolved from a pond to stone terrace type through many repairs and reconstructions. Remains of human settlements, building sites and dugouts dating from the Bronze Age to the Unified Silla period (668-935) have been discovered around the moat sites. They have also yielded numerous relics, including earthenware, roof tiles and lacquered vessels, as well as wood strips and various other objects that suggest lifestyles in the ancient royal capital. |
| Survey of Bunhwangsa Temple |
| Bunhwangsa was founded in 634, the third year of Queen Seondeok, as a state temple of the Silla Dynasty. It has been severely reduced in scale but is still famous for a pagoda built of stone cut in brick shapes, which is National Treasure No. 30. The main worship hall, Bogwangjeon, houses a standing image of Bhaisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha. The original triangle layout of three main worship halls and the three subsequent transition styles have been confirmed through eight rounds of excavations conducted since 1990. Various building sites, drainage ditches and walls suggest the grand scale of the temple during its peak years.
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| Excavation of Alleged Inyongsa Temple Site |
| A brief account about the foundation of a Buddhist temple named Inyongsa is contained in Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa) but without revealing its location. The supposed Inyongsa site, lying to the south of Wolseong (Moon Fortress) which was the main palace of the Silla Dynasty, has been excavated since 2002. Remains of the main worship hall with two three-story stone pagodas standing to its south and a middle gate further to the south as well as the east and west cloisters and side cloisters have been discovered through the excavations. The layout is in the typical temple style of the Unified Silla period (668-935) |
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| Excavation of Eastern Gyeongju A |
| The eastern Gyeongju area around Hwangnam-dong, Hwango-dong and Inwang-dong, with a dense cluster of ancient burial sites, has been excavated since March 2007. Some of the Silla period tombs in this area have been renovated in connection with the Tumuli Park (Daereungwon) comprising large royal tombs of the Nodong-dong and Noseodong area. The ongoing excavation is expected to unveil the origin and development of large mounded tombs and the changing burial custom during the Silla Dynasty. The area has traditionally been known as Jjoksaem (Indigo Springs).
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Excavation of Sacheonwangsa Temple Site
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| Sacheonwangsa, or the Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings, was founded in 679, the 19th year of King Munmu of the Silla Dynasty. Through the excavation which has been under way since 2006, the central section with the main worship hall with two three-story wooden pagodas and a middle gate to the south as well as surrounding cloisters has been confirmed. The main worship hall had five bays on the front and three bays on the sides, while the wooden pagodas had three by three bays each. A green-glazed tile carved with outstanding skill was found from a wooden pagoda site. The temple site has yielded various artifacts including roof tiles and earthen vessels.
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| Special Exhibition Hall |
| An exhibition hall was opened in a new storage building built in 2005 to display ancient relics unearthed from the Gyeongju area. The hall is used for public exhibitions of antique objects in the possession of the institute or those unearthed during recent excavations. As the opening event the institute held the exhibition, ��A Millennium of the Breath of Silla, 32 Years of Excavation.�� More exhibitions followed, such as ��Excavated Relics: A Fast Exhibition�� in August 2005, ��Relics Excavated from Bunhwangsa Temple�� in May 2006, and ��Wolseong of Silla: A Palace for a Millennium�� in March 2008.
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