Silver Cap

This silver cap consists of a cone that is shaped from a single piece of silver plate, with a pentagonal gilt-bronze plate attached to its face. The cone, which is decorated with metal flakes, is just big enough to cover the crown of the head, and it was held in place with a string tied under the jaw. The pentagonal plate features a sophisticated design of dragons, and it forms a pocket against the cone, where additional ornaments could be inserted. A similar cap made entirely of gilt-bronze was excavated from the Southern Peak of Hwangnamdaechong (the Great Tomb at Hwangnam), and these two artifacts now serve as the models for cone-shaped caps, which were very popular in Silla.