New discovery! Epitaph of Lady Kim of the Great Tang We have confirmed the passage in the Stele of King Munmu that regards Tohu Kim Il-je as the ancestor of the Silla royal family. However, Professor Kwon Deok-yeong of Busan University of Foreign Studies discovered the 'Epitaph of Lady Kim of the Great Tang' while investigating a Chinese rubbing. The epitaph records the life of Lady Kim, who left her hometown of Silla and settled in Tang China since her grandfather's time. However, in this epitaph, Kim Il-je, who appears in the Stele of King Munmu, appears again as the ancestor of the Kim family. Not only the Silla royal family, but also the nobles regarded Kim Il-je as their ancestor. History Special is the first domestic media outlet to reveal the epitaph of Lady Kim of the Great Tang, which is stored in the Birim Museum in Xi'an, China, and investigates the historical truth contained in this epitaph. Prince of the Xiongnu, Tohu Kim Il-je The Xiongnu, a nomadic people who mainly operated in the Eurasian grasslands, grew into a powerful force around the 3rd century BC and threatened the Chinese mainland. The Great Wall of China was also a measure to prevent the invasion of the Xiongnu. Kim Il-je was the prince of the Xiongnu. Chinese historical books also refer to him as a Xiongnu, and he himself did not hide that he was a Xiongnu. Why do the Silla people keep referring to Kim Il-je, who was clearly a Xiongnu, as their ancestor? The revision of the name and the establishment of an ancient state Naemul Maripgan was the second Kim to ascend to the throne. After Naemul Maripgan, the small state of Saroguk made great strides into the ancient state of Silla. It is said that the Kim family inherited the throne from this time, and the king's title also changed from Isageum to Maripgan. What does Maripgan mean? 'Marip' means head or stake. 'Gan' means chief, meaning 'king of kings'. However, 'Gan' in Maripgan has a similar meaning to 'Khan' in nomadic peoples. What happened during the reign of Naemul Maripgan? The view that the tomb of King Naemul, who strengthened the royal authority and contributed to the development of Silla by using golden relics, stone chamber tombs, and new totems, is the largest of the Gyeongju tombs is gaining ground. However, the unique tomb style of this Hwangnamdaecheong, the splendid golden relics, and the bird that appears in the birth story of Kim Alji, the founder of the Silla Kim royal family. All three of these are consistent with the customs of nomadic peoples who worship gold, use stone chamber tombs as tombs, and regard birds as totems. Should we consider this a coincidence? Genetic Affinity of Ancient Human Bones Recently, research has been actively conducted to find affinities between ancient races using genetic information of ancient human bones. The results of tracing the relationship between the remains excavated from the Xiongnu tombs in Eurasia and the ancient bones of our country were surprising. The results of experiments on the relationship between the bones showed that the Scythians, Xiongnu, and Silla were grouped together. Then, through what migration route did the Xiongnu come to Silla? This program presents a new perspective on migration that leads to Gojoseon, Nakrang, and Silla. Beyond the Xiongnu 'tribe' to the Xiongnu Empire The name Xiongnu (匈奴) was used to disparage the Xiongnu by adding the character 'No', meaning slave, to the 'Hun' sound of the Xiongnu, based on a Chinese-centered historical perspective, in order to place the Chinese people above them. However, the theory that the Huns and the Xiongnu, who conquered Europe with perfect cavalry tactics, not only have similar pronunciations, but were actually the same group, is gaining ground. Since the Xiongnu were a group of various ethnic groups living together, it is highly likely that they were a political union that built a single empire beyond the 'tribe'. Therefore, if we consider the Huns who appeared in the West as the Xiongnu who migrated from the west, the question can be resolved. The academic community believes that the Huns and the Xiongnu can be viewed as one cultural category. The Xiongnu and the northern nomadic people who formed a great empire on the grasslands. The idea that they were cruel and plundering barbarians is only a Chinese perspective. Now we must break away from the China-centric view of history and reestablish our sense of roots. New History Special Episode 3 - Are the Silla Royal Family Really Descendants of the Huns? (Broadcast on July 18, 2009) http://history.kbs.co.kr/