Six gold pendants dangle from this tree-shaped gold and jade crown from the ancient kingdom of Silla in Korea. The 10.75-inch crown was excavated from a fifth-century A.D. royal tomb containing a king, his queen and lavish goods for the afterlife. Magnificent treasures were preserved in the late fourth- to early sixth-century royal burial mounds in Silla’s capital city, Gyeongju. The kingdom of Silla spanned almost a millennium (57 B.C.–935 A.D.). Ruled by a single dynasty throughout most of its history, Silla came to control much of the Korean peninsula. Silla entered its Golden Age through trade with China […]
