Sabi (Korea)

The royal palace and its surrounding facilities are located at the northernmost end of the city. There, a large building site was discovered. The site spans 35m across and 18.5m in length, which is evident from the 50cm tall remains of the platform that once supported the building. Within the site 36 rammed-earth foundations were discovered, which are believed to have supported the pillars and cornerstones of the building.[13]

The site was confirmed to be the royal palace due to three different types of evidence. The first being a gilt-bronze waist belt was found at the site. The belt could have only belonged to a king due to the strict hierarchy of Baekje society at the time. This discovery indicated that the area was once the residence of a king.[14] Roof tiles with inscriptions of the royal court, large stone structures, and a monument to Liu Renyuan of Tang China, were found at the site. These point to the importance of the location, which point to it being the location of the royal palace. The site was also used for local government offices in later Korean dynasties.[15]

Two large, wooden water tanks, five underground, wooden storage facilities, three stone storage facilities, and various other storage pits were also found at the location. A man-made lotus pond that was 10.6m in width, 6.2m in length, and ranged from 1 to 1.2m in depth, was found as well.[16]

Gate of Busosan Fortress

The fortress was built to protect the city from the sides that weren’t naturally protected by the surrounding mountains and river. It was built using a rammed-earth technique and had a perimeter of 2,495m, was 5 to 6m wide at the base, and was 3m high. Building sites, including a barracks for Baekje soldiers, as well as Gate Sites have been found within the fortress. Two Gate Sites have been identified, the first, which was the main gate, was on the south side of the fortress, while the second one was on the east side.[16]

Jeongnimsa Stone Pagoda

The temple was located at the center of Sabi and is still located at the center of modern-day Buyeo. The temple included a central gate, a prayer hall, a lecture hall, and monks’ dormitories that were connected to the main buildings by linking corridors. The layout is believed to either have been “one pagoda and one prayer hall” or “one pagoda and two prayer halls.”[17]

The only thing still remaining of the temple is an 8.3m tall stone pagoda.[18] The pagoda has Chinese characters carved into the surface of it. The writing is celebrating the Tang Dynasty’s victory over the Kingdom of Baekje and was put there by the commanding Tang general, Liu Renyuan.[9]

Neungsanri Royal Tombs

Outside the eastern part of the city wall, 7 tombs are located. The tombs are within mounds of hollowed earth and can be seen as semi-spheres on the hillside. They are arranged in two rows of three mounds, while one mound is located 50m to the north.

The tombs are classified as stone chambers with a corridor and are divided into types based on what type of ceiling they have. The royal tombs of Sabi have three different types present: vault ceiling, hexagonal flat ceiling, and square flat ceiling.[19]