Menhirs on archaeological sites and in archaeological complexes in Korea

The author describes menhirs at archaeological sites and archaeological complexes that were noted in the course of survey and excavations in the Korean Peninsula. The purpose of the work is to specify the role of menhirs in the ancient culture of Korea. In the course of survey, six sites with menhirs along with 1-2 southern-type dolmens with low support stones or without them were identified. Such dolmens often mark the Bronze Age burials on the Korean Peninsula. Being barely noticeable at the level ofthe modern surface, they were often mistakenfor natural boulders. It has been hypothesized that the proximity of menhirs to southern-type dolmens could be due to the function of menhirs as burial site markers (gravestones). Finding menhirs in archaeological complexes during stationary excavations are currently limited to a single example - the Jincheon-dong site in Daegu. It has been established that this site is a complex monumental construction. It consists of a sub-rectangular mound 0.7 m high and about 250 sq. m, composed of 7-8 layers of stone slabs, a menhir bearing ritual symbols in the center ofthe mound, andfive stone cists on its periphery. The stone cists did not contain any artifacts; all finds come from the mound. It is assumed that the stone cists were intended for burying the dead bodies, and the mound with the menhir served as an altar on which memorial rituals were performed. Further collection and analysis of new finds of menhirs at archaeological sites and in archaeological complexes will help to clarify the proposed inferences on the function of these types of megaliths.