Gold Crown from Geumgwanchong Tomb

The Gold Crown from Geumgwanchong Tomb (Gold Crown Tomb) is one of the most representative Silla crowns, named because it was the first tomb from which a gold crown was unearthed. It is composed of three tree-shaped uprights, two antler-shaped uprights, and a headband. The side branches of the tree-shaped uprights are arranged in three tiers, and a row of small circular motifs is incised along the edges. Convex ornaments appear at the tips and intervals of the uprights, from which curved jades (gogok) and round pendants are suspended on gold wires.
The upper and lower borders of the headband are decorated with double rows of small triangular patterns forming bands, inside of which wave motifs are incised, with small dots interspersed. Convex circular decorations are raised from the band, adorned with curved jades. On each side of the headband are three large rings, from which pendants are suspended. The shortest pendant ends with a curved jade, while the other two end in pen-nib–shaped ornaments.
Excluding the seized crown attributed to Gyo-dong, the Geumgwanchong crown is considered the earliest among the five excavated Silla crowns, and scholarly opinion strongly suggests that its owner was female. For a long time, however, the tomb’s occupant remained unknown, as no epitaph or inscribed marker was discovered. In 2013, a sword unearthed from the tomb was found to bear the inscription “Isaji-wang (尒斯智王, King Isaji)”, providing the first clue to the possible identity of the tomb’s owner. While the precise identity of Isaji-wang remains uncertain, it is clear that the individual buried here was a key figure in the formation of the Silla royal lineage.