■ Joseon's time capsule containing 600 years of secrets, the Joseon royal tombs. How were the royal tombs built during the five-month long funeral of the king? We will learn about the secrets of the Joseon royal tombs, which were registered as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2009. 'Sunchangwon Grave Robbery Attempt': How were the Joseon royal tombs built? In January 2006, there was an attempted grave robbery at Sunchangwon, the tomb of King Myeongjong and his wife, located within the Seooreung Royal Tomb complex. The grave robbers dug down the back of the burial mound. However, the grave robbers were blocked by the solid layer inside the tomb and failed. How were the Joseon royal tombs, which are impossible to rob, built? There are a total of 42 Joseon royal tombs, which house the remains of 27 kings and their queens. We looked for clues about the construction of the Joseon royal tombs through the funeral video and funeral photos of the last king, Sunjong, which are the only remaining video footage of royal funerals. What happened during the kings' funerals? It took a whopping 5 months for the remains of the deceased king to be placed in the royal tomb. The state funeral, the funeral of the king, was so complicated and difficult that it had a total of 69 procedures. Among them, there was the installation of an ice plate using ice to prevent the body from decaying, and the Daeryeom (大斂) where the body was dressed in 90 sets of clothes. While these procedures were in progress, the royal tomb was also built according to strict state funeral etiquette. The person who perfected this state funeral system was the third king, Taejong. So how was Taejong's tomb built? Based on records, we reconstructed the interior of Taejong's tomb. As a result, the weight of the stone chamber's capstone alone was over 50 tons. It took a tremendous amount of effort to excavate, trim, and transport the enormous stone to the tomb. But were all 42 Joseon royal tombs built in this way? First public, the excavation site of the Joseon royal tombs. What is the secret of the mortar used in the royal tombs? In 2008, the site of a Joseon royal tomb was excavated in Naegok-dong, Seoul. It was known to be the place where Sejong was first buried, but the results of the excavation were completely unexpected. It was not a stone chamber tomb as recorded, but a mortar tomb made by mixing lime, sand, and yellow soil. Based on the size of the tomb, including its depth, construction method, and the location of the site, the owner of the tomb was estimated to be Queen Janggyeong, the second wife of King Jungjong. So when did the internal structure of Joseon royal tombs change from stone chambers to mortar chambers, and why? Building a royal tomb was a major event at the time. In particular, the burden and harm caused to the people by building a stone chamber was great. Over 10,000 forced laborers were mobilized to build Taejong's tomb, and over 100 people died while transporting stones. In response, King Sejo left a will telling them not to build a stone chamber using huge stones. Eventually, mortar chambers made of lime mixtures replaced stone chambers in royal tombs after King Sejo. The best science of the time is contained in the concrete-like strength of the concrete, as well as the waterproofing and insect repelling properties. The secret of the tomb that has not collapsed for 600 years, what is the philosophy of the Joseon royal family contained in the burial goods? The tomb of the Joseon royal tomb, or the burial mound, has maintained its original shape without collapsing for over 600 years. Its sturdiness is due to the use of a lime mixture of lime, yellow soil, and sand in the burial mound, which enhances its durability. So what kind of burial goods are contained in the Joseon royal tombs? Sometimes, items that were used were placed as they were, but most of the time, small and roughly made burial goods were placed there. As in the construction of the royal tomb, the philosophy of the Joseon royal family, which tried to avoid extravagance while maintaining courtesy based on the Neo-Confucian ideology, and the philosophy of caring for the people, which cherished the blood and sweat of the people, are embedded there. History Tracking Episode 10 How were the Joseon royal tombs built? (Aired on February 7, 2009) http://history.kbs.co.kr/