Dolmen

This dolmen was located at Soktanri, Okchon, near Taezon, Korea. It was on the hillside of the slope, in the midst of the valley, surrounded with mountains. The river was in the front of this dolmen, and menhir was at the back of it. By the construction of Taechong Dam, this was moved to the east hillside 150 meters away from it.

It is 90Cm high in all, and 3.5m long, 2.1m wide, about 35Cm thick granite stone plate on the two stone supports. Chamber measures 1.7m long, 1.4m wide. Upper stone plate looks like a boat or the symbol plate of female. There are numbers of cupmarks on the east side of it. And so peoples prayed to the westside, I guess.

"Menhirs like this one are generally believed to have been erected at the entrance to a village as a guardian deity to protect it from misfortune or ensure a bumper harvest and peace. Menhirs are Bronze Age monuments.
This one appears to have been some kind of tomb monument or ancestral deity judging from the existence of a number of dolmens in its vicinity. Residents of the area call it Halmoni, meaning Grandmother, and make offerings here from time to time to pray for their wishes to be answered.

Round geometrical patterns about 90Cm in diameter are carved in the center of the menhir. They are believed to represent a pregnant woman. If so, the menhir could be a fertility deity.

The menhir was originally located at Soktanri but was moved because of the construction of the Taechong Dam. It is 195Cm high from the ground up, 92Cm wide and 54Cm thick. The buried part is 65Cm. When it was excavated, traces of holes used to hold log supports when it was erected were discovered." (quatation from information board)

This menhir of hard granite was located on the slight slope, upper side of the dolmen, about 100 meters to the east. The circle on the menhir, I think, would be carved maybe after Iron Age with another purpose, not in the meaning of pregnancy. Menhir looks like rather a symbol of male. (1996.11.)