Tombs from South Korea’s lost kingdoms of Gaya stand as a monument to human sacrifice

The clusters of cone-shaped burial mounds dotting the hills of Goryeong in South Korea have endured since the era of Gaya, the loosely knit federation of six or seven small kingdoms that prospered between the first and sixth centuries. They are also grisly reminders of the practice of human sacrifice. The South Korean government has lobbied for the mounds – or tumuli – which contain the remains of royalty and nobility, to be recognised as a World Heritage Site. “The designation of Gaya tombs…