A Review of Dolmens reflected on Ancient Chronicles and Literatures

Abstract

Megalithic cultures are composed of menhir, stone circle, stone cist, stone statue, and dolmen. Dolmens are belonged to one of megalithic cultures in prehistory. In this paper, I reviewed the recognition of dolmens recorded on ancient chronicles and literatures in Korea and China.<BR> The name of dolmen in Korean and Chinese would be originated from those of words written on the ancient literatures. Dolmen was called as a ‘Jiseokmyo’ in Korean. The Korean word ‘Jiseokmyo’, dolmen tomb, must be derived from ‘Jisek’ documented on Dongguk Isanggukgip. Dolmen also called as a ‘shipeng’ in Chinese, and this word was originated from the same word ‘shipeng’ on Yajianghangbuzhi.<BR> Dolmen was no more constructed at the ruling period of Xiaodi emperor(86~74B.C.), West Han dynasty. According to Hanshu, big stone supported by three stone walls at the south of Raimushan, this big stone located in Shandong peninsula. The chamber under the capstone was constructed as a ‘?’ shape so that this shape of big stone must be the northern type of dolmen. Northern type of dolmen was widely distributed in Liaotung peninsula and north of Korean peninsula.<BR> Dolmens were depicted on ancient historical literatures as a supernatural stone monuments. It is worth to compare between ancient notion appeared on the chronicles and literatures and results of archaeological excavation activities today. Although dates and episodes depicted on ancient chronicles and literatures are somewhat anomalous on our viewpoints in descriptive ways, there we can get certain informations such as construction time of dolmen, collapse shape of dolmen at those time.<BR> Dolmen, called big stone, was recognized by the people at those time as a miraculous monument by stood itself, legendary cauldron of ku?fu, abnormality construction built by ancient saint and so on. We can understand that the construction activities of dolmen were no more practiced by native people at those time, and already had become forgotten story. Therefore, at those time to the local native peoples dolmen must be discerned as a symbolic stone monument, built itself, or built by certain saints on the ancient historical literatures.