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Geumcheok Mounds - 금척리 고분군 (金尺里 古墳群) (unknown age)

If you drive toward Gyeongju from Daegu you will pass through Geumcheok village, a tiny hamlet just west of Gyeongju. The name of the town means "gold rod." According to legend, long ago a man possessed a gold rod that had the power to bring the dead back to life. News of the rod's power spread far and wide, drawing pilgrims from all over the country hoping to revive their dead children, parents, and relatives. After a while it was decided that the rod's power was too great to be used by man. Too powerful to be destroyed by human hands, the rod was buried beneath a large mound of earth. To confound robbers, dozens of identical mounds were built around it. Still there today, the mounds might well contain a gold rod—nobody knows who shaped them or why. When driving to Gyeongju from the west, look for them south of the highway just before crossing the bridge.

Address: 경북 경주시 건천읍 금척리 192-1.

(Designated Historic Site #43).