What was found in the Heavenly Horse Tomb?

A painting of a flying horse and a gold crown

Gyeongju Quiz: Silla Royal Tombs and Bulguksa Temple

This Gyeongju quiz explores the ancient capital called a museum without walls in South Korea. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on the Silla kingdom's thousand years, grassy royal tomb mounds, the Heavenly Horse Tomb's painting and gold crown, Cheomseongdae observatory, Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto, Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, UNESCO and the 2025 APEC summit.

Start Gyeongju Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
Which country is Gyeongju in?
Kingdom
Which kingdom made Gyeongju its capital?
Years
Roughly how long did Silla last?
Tombs
What do Silla royal tombs look like?
Horse
What was found in the Heavenly Horse Tomb?
Observatory
What is Cheomseongdae?
Temple
Which temple is a UNESCO site near Gyeongju?
Grotto
What is inside Seokguram Grotto?
Pond
Which palace pond glows beautifully at night?
Summit
Which major international meeting did Gyeongju host in 2025?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which country is Gyeongju in?
Answer: South Korea
It is in the southeast.
Q2: Which kingdom made Gyeongju its capital?
Answer: Silla
It lasted about a thousand years.
Q3: Roughly how long did Silla last?
Answer: About 1,000 years
From 57 BC to AD 935 by tradition.
Q4: What do Silla royal tombs look like?
Answer: Large grassy mounds
They rise across the city.
Q5: What was found in the Heavenly Horse Tomb?
Answer: A painting of a flying horse and a gold crown
The painting is on birch bark.
Q6: What is Cheomseongdae?
Answer: An ancient stone observatory
It is among the oldest in East Asia.
Q7: Which temple is a UNESCO site near Gyeongju?
Answer: Bulguksa
Seokguram Grotto is linked to it.
Q8: What is inside Seokguram Grotto?
Answer: A seated stone Buddha
It faces the East Sea.
Q9: Which palace pond glows beautifully at night?
Answer: Wolji Pond
It is at Donggung Palace.
Q10: Which major international meeting did Gyeongju host in 2025?
Answer: The APEC leaders' summit
Leaders from the Pacific region met there.

Royal Mounds of a Thousand-Year Kingdom

Gyeongju in southeastern South Korea was the capital of the Silla kingdom for about a thousand years, traditionally from 57 BC to AD 935. Because ancient sites fill the city, it is called a museum without walls, and its historic areas became a UNESCO site in 2000.

Large grassy mounds mark Silla royal tombs. In the Heavenly Horse Tomb, archaeologists found a painting of a flying horse on a birch-bark saddle flap and a dazzling gold crown. Cheomseongdae, a bottle-shaped stone tower from the 600s, is among the oldest surviving observatories in East Asia.

Outside the city, Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto, with its serene seated stone Buddha facing the sea, became UNESCO sites in 1995. At night, Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond glow with reflections. In 2025 Gyeongju hosted the APEC leaders' summit, bringing world attention to the ancient city.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Which kingdom ruled from Gyeongju
What its tombs look like
Which treasures were found
Which temples stand nearby
Which modern events it hosted

Did You Know?

Gyeongju bread is filled with red bean paste.
Cycling is a popular way to see the tombs.
The Gyeongju National Museum displays Silla gold.
Cherry blossoms fill the city in spring.
The Divine Bell of King Seongdeok is a famous bronze bell.