Cheomseongdae
Korean name
Hangul:	첨성대
Hanja:	瞻星臺
Revised Romanization:	Cheomseongdae
McCune-Reischauer:	Ch'ŏmsŏngdae

Cheomseongdae is an astronomical observatory in Gyeongju, South Korea. Cheomseongdae means star-gazing tower in Korean. Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving observatory in East Asia, and one of the oldest scientific installations on Earth. It dates to the 7th century to the time of kingdom of Silla, which had its capital in Gyeongju. Cheomseongdae was designated as the country's 31st national treasure on December 20, 1962.^[1]. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1065, 94 KB) Summary Cheomseongdae, Gyeongju, s. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1065, 94 KB) Summary Cheomseongdae, Gyeongju, s. ... The Korean language (한국어 or 조선어, see below) is the official language of both North and South Korea. ... Hangul is the native alphabet used to write the Korean language, as opposed to the hanja system borrowed from China. ... Hanja, or hanmun, sometimes translated as Sino-Korean characters, are what Chinese characters (hanzi) are called in Korean. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Categories: Stub | Astronomical observatories ... Gyeongju is a city (see Subdivisions of South Korea) and prominent tourist destination in eastern South Korea. ... Geographic scope of East Asia East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... // Overview Events The Roman-Persian Wars end. ... Silla (also denoted as Shilla) was one of the three kingdoms of ancient Korea. ... The Buddha statue at Seokguram Grotto, the 24th Korean national treasure. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

According to Samguk Yusa, Cheomseongdae was constructed under the reign of Queen Seondeok (632-647) near the capital of the kingdom. Cheomseongdae means "star gazing platform". The tower is built out of 362 pieces of cut granite which some claim represent the 362 days of the lunar year. Some surveys of the site have indicated that there are 366 blocks.^[2] It has 27 circular layers of stones (some associate it with the fact that Queen Seondeok was considered to be the 27th ruler of Silla) surmounted by a square structure. 12 of the layers are below the window level and 12 are above. There are 12 large base stones set in a square, with three stones on each side. These sets of 12 may symbolize the months of the year. Samguk Yusa, or Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms, is a collection of legends, folktales, and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, during, and after the Three Kingdoms period. ... Queen Seondeok of Silla(善徳女王) ruled Silla from 632 to 647. ... Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... Crust composition Oxygen 43% Silicon 21% Aluminium 10% Calcium 9% Iron 9% Magnesium 5% Titanium 2% Nickel 0. ... The month is a unit of time, used with calendars, which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon. ...

The tower is 5.7 meters wide at the base and 9.4 meters tall, and filled with dirt up to the level of the window. Its construction style parallels that used at the Bunhwangsa Temple in Gyeongju and was likely a product of contact with the Tang Dynasty of China, with which Queen Seondeok allied her country. Also the name of a rock band. ...

Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving observatory in East Asia, but some people claim that Cheomseongdae is not suitbale for astronomical observation. Some claim that it was used for astrology rather than astronomy, although they were not differentiated at the time. Some pose that design of Cheomsongdae was heavily influenced by Buddhism, regarding its similarities in design to Mount Sumeru, the center of the world according to Buddhist mythology. Geographic scope of East Asia East Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found from Sarnath, near Varanasi Buddhism is a religion and philosophy from ancient India & is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived in Northern India and Nepal between 563 and 483 BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the... Mount Sumeru is the axial mountain on which both the religions of Hindu and Buddhism see as the center of the universe. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found from Sarnath, near Varanasi Buddhism is a religion and philosophy from ancient India & is based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived in Northern India and Nepal between 563 and 483 BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the...

Notes

1. ^  Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea website [3]. Retrieved January 5, 2006.
2. ^  Song (1983, p.17) cites the original 1962 survey of the site by Gyeongju National Museum director Hong Sa-jun, who found 366 blocks.
3. ^  Asian Historical Culture [4]. Retrieved February 4, 2006.
4. ^  Life in Korea [5]. Retrieved February 4, 2006.
5. ^  Chomseongdae Observatory Tower [6]. Retrieved February 4, 2006.
6. ^  World Travel Tips [7]. Retrieved February 4, 2006.

References

• Jeon, Sang-woon. (1998). A history of science in Korea. Seoul:Jimoondang. ISBN 89-88095-11-1

• Song, Sang-Yong. (1983). A brief history of the study of the Ch'ŏmsŏng-dae in Kyongju. Korea Journal 23(8), 16-21. [8]

External links

• Asian Historical Architecture page on Cheomseongdae
• Travel in Korea Cheomsongdae information page