Ancient site · Monument
Gwanggaeto Stele
The Gwanggaeto Stele stands near the tomb of King Gwanggaeto the Great of Goguryeo in Ji'an, Jilin, on the Yalu River, then Goguryeo's capital. Raised in 414 CE by his son, King Jangsu, it is a single block of granite about 6.39 metres tall carved with around 1,775–1,802 characters.
The text tells Goguryeo's founding myth and lists the king's campaigns against Baekje, the Wa from Japan and others. Rediscovered around 1876, it is a key source for early Korean history, though one passage about the Wa is hotly debated. It is part of a UNESCO site.
- Dates
- erected 414 CE
- Still standing
- Yes
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 41.15° N, 126.21° E
How we know
The stele is itself a contemporary written record, carved with about 1,800 Chinese characters.
Nearby sites
- Mausoleum of Tangun legendary date 2333 BCE; present monument built 1994
- Songguk-ri c. 850–300 BCE
- Niuheliang c. 3500–3000 BCE
- Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa dolmens c. 1000–300 BCE (Bronze Age; Gochang group c. 7th century BCE)
- Bangudae Petroglyphs c. 5000 BCE – 9th century CE (approximate)
- Yoshinogari before 400 BCE – 3rd century CE