This stone coffin is covered – inside and out – with an array of intricate engravings. The sides of the interior are etched with depictions of the constellations Cassiopeia and Ursa Major (i.e., the Great Bear or Big Dipper), as well as several ornamental flowers and bottles, while the bottom of the inside bears a crosshatch pattern. The outer surface of the lid is decorated with flower-bearing celestial maids, and the four exterior sides are adorned with low-relief engravings of the Four Guardian Deities: Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Red Phoenix, and Black Tortoise-Serpent. The Four Guardian Deities are intended to repel evil forces from outside, while the flowers and bottles on the interior represent special offerings for the peace of the deceased. The Buddhist tradition of cremation spread through Korea during the Unified Silla Period (676–935 CE), and it became the norm among the ruling elite during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). It was then that the use of stone coffins became widespread, to enshrine the relics of the deceased. These coffins were usually decorated much like this one; the outside would be adorned with the Four Guardian Deities and the Twelve Animals of the Zodiac, as well as the celestial maids, while the inside was decorated with flowers, birds, constellations, and perhaps an epitaph. These stone coffins are crucial artifacts for understanding the practice of cremation and Goryeo’s conception of the afterlife.