Mongchontoseong Earthen Fortification () is an ancient earthen rampart dating from the

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

kingdom. It appears to have played the same role in defending the region the fortifications constructed on Mt. Acha. The fortification walls are estimated to have been about in length and approximately high. The fortifications of Mongchon Toseong had two unique features: a

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade' ...

atop the wall and a

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

surrounding its base. They are part of

Wiryeseong Wiryeseong was the name of two early capitals of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Both are believed to have been in the modern-day Seoul area. According to ''Samguk Sagi'' (the oldest surviving Korean history book, written in the 12th ...

with

Pungnaptoseong Earthen Fortification in Pungnap-dong, Seoul () is a flat earthen wall built at the edge of the Han River in Korea. It has a circumference of 3.5 km. It is located in modern-day Pungnap-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. It used to be included in th ...

. It is located what is now in the

Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics c ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. During the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, the running portion of the

modern pentathlon The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anci ...

event were hosted there. A number of important excavations of the site were conducted prior to the construction of the nearby Olympic Park.

References

1988 Summer Olympics official report.
Volume 1. Part 1. p. 181.

External links

Mongchontoseong Earthen Fortification, Seoul
at

Cultural Heritage Administration The Cultural Heritage Administration () or CHA, formerly the Cultural Properties Administration, is the agency of the South Korean government charged with preserving and promoting Korean cultural heritage. It is headquartered in the city of Dae ...

of the Republic of Korea Venues of the 1988 Summer Olympics Defunct sports venues in South Korea Olympic modern pentathlon venues Sports venues in Seoul Archaeological sites in South Korea Historic Sites of South Korea Castles in South Korea Baekje Buildings and structures in Songpa District Olympic Park, Seoul {{Summer-Olympic-venue-stub