A team from the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage has unearthed a pair of exquisitely preserved silk slippers threaded with silver and gold wire. Found within a previously unknown annex of the Silla royal palace, the footwear is believed to have been used specifically for the 'Spring-Dance of the White Heron,' a ritual performance that celebrated the return of migratory birds and the rebirth of the landscape.
The slippers were found alongside bronze bells and remains of cedarwood stages, providing the first physical evidence of the high-status costumes worn during 8th-century courtly festivals. This discovery allows historians to reconstruct the choreography and scale of Silla-era seasonal celebrations, which blended shamanistic roots with sophisticated Buddhist court culture.