Ancient site · Tomb
Mausoleum of Tangun
Also known as Tomb of Dangun
Korean tradition, first written down in the 13th-century Samguk yusa, says that Tangun, son of a heavenly prince and a bear-woman, founded the first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon, in 2333 BCE. In 1993 North Korea announced that bones found in a tomb near Pyongyang were Tangun's and about 5,000 years old, and built a large stone pyramid there in 1994.
Scholars outside North Korea do not accept the claim: a nail of Goguryeo date (37 BCE–668 CE) found in the tomb is part of the controversy, and Gojoseon itself appears in Chinese records only many centuries after 2333 BCE.
- Dates
- legendary date 2333 BCE; present monument built 1994
- Still standing
- Yes
- Location
- 39.16° N, 126.05° E
How we know
Not proven: no archaeological evidence has been found that Tangun was a real person or that bones in this tomb belong to him.
Nearby sites
- Gwanggaeto Stele erected 414 CE
- Songguk-ri c. 850–300 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)
- Niuheliang c. 3500–3000 BCE
- Yoshinogari before 400 BCE – 3rd century CE