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The Lower Paleolithic era on the Korean Peninsula and in Manchuria began roughly half a million years ago. [1][2][3] The earliest known Korean pottery dates to around 8000 BC, and the Neolithic period began after 6000 BC, followed by the Bronze Age by 2000 BC, [4][5][6] and the Iron Age around 700 BC. Similarly, according to The History of ...
- Prehistoric Korea
- Gojoseon
- Three Kingdoms Period
- Unified Silla Kingdom
- Goryeo
- Relations with China & Japan
- Korean Religion
- Korean Art
- Korean Architecture
The Korean peninsula was inhabited from 10,000 BCE (or even earlier) by people who subsisted on hunting, fishing, and gathering. The earliest known settlements date to c. 6,000 BCE. Megalithic structures from the 2nd millennium BCE still dot the landscape of Korea and number over 200,000. Dolmens were constructed of huge single stones and were like...
Gojoseon, according to Korean mythology as recounted in the 13th-century CE Samguk yusa ('Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'), was founded in 2333 BCE by Dangun Wanggeom (aka Tangun) who was the offspring of the god Hwanung and a female bear transformed into a woman. Archaeological evidence suggests that the state was formed from the alliance of sm...
The four states of the Three Kingdoms Period (57 BCE – 668 CE) were in constant rivalry and so they formed ever-changing alliances, one with another and with the two dominant regional powers of China and Japan. According to a tradition based on the 12th-century CE Samguk sagi('Historical Records of the Three States') this happened from the 1st cent...
The Unified Silla Kingdom (668- 935 CE) was the first dynasty to rule over the whole of the Korean peninsula. There was a state in the north at this time, Balhae (Parhae), but most of its territory was in Manchuria and so the majority of historians do not consider it a Korean state proper. The whole state was now divided into nine provinces (three ...
Goryeo (Koryo) would rule Korea from 918 CE to 1392 CE, and it is the name of this kingdom which is the origin of the English name for the peninsula, Korea. Wang Geon selected the northern city of Songdo (Modern Gaeseong) as his new capital and declared himself king. For his contribution to creating the new state he was given the posthumous title K...
Relations between Korea and China go back to mythology when the sage Gija (Jizi to the Chinese) and 5,000 followers left China and settled in Dangun's kingdom. When the latter decided to retreat to meditation on a mountaintop, Gija was made king of Gojoseon in 1122 BCE. This myth may represent the arrival of Iron Age culture to Korea. Trade between...
The Korean states, traditionally practitioners of shamanism, adopted first Confucianism, then Taoism and Buddhism from China, with Korea making the latter the official state religion from the 4th century CE. Confucian principles were followed in the state administration and were an essential part of entrance exams to positions within that system. B...
High-fired grey stoneware was produced in great quantities from the Three Kingdoms Period. Ceramics were decorated with incisions, applying additional clay pieces, and cutting away the clay to create a latticework effect. The most famous Korean ceramics from any period, though, are the pale green celadons produced in the Goryeo kingdom. Also known ...
The best surviving remains of Korean architecturefrom the period prior to recorded history are megalithic structures, fortification walls, and stone-lined tombs. Outstanding examples of ancient Korean dolmens are the table-type structures on Ganghwa Island which date to c. 1000 BCE in the Korean Bronze Age. Single standing stones (menhirs), unrelat...
- Mark Cartwright
The Korean peninsula has been inhabited since Lower Paleolithic times. According to legend, Korea's first kingdom, Gojoseon (then called Joseon), was founded in 2333 B.C.E. by Dangun, who is said to be descended from heaven. However, Korea's history has been one of constant struggle between forces of unification and division.
Definition. Korea, located on a large peninsula on the eastern coast of the Asian mainland, has been inhabited since Neolithic times. The first recognisable political state was Gojoseon in the second half of the first millennium BCE. From the 1st century BCE to the 7th century CE in the Three kingdoms period, the peninsula was dominated by the ...
- Mark Cartwright
- Publishing Director
Each compiled its own history, apparently to consolidate the authority of the state. Also noteworthy was the introduction of Buddhism, which was regarded at the time as the state religion for the protection and welfare of the state. History of the Korean Peninsula from prehistoric times to the 1953 armistice ending the Korean War (1950–53).
The early inhabitants of the peninsula survived by hunting animals and collecting edible plants in groups. In Korea, the Neolithic Age began around 8,000 BCE. People started farming, cultivating cereals such as millet, and used polished stone tools. They started settling down permanently in places and formed clan societies.
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People in southern Korea adopted intensive dry-field and paddy-field agriculture with a multitude of crops in the Early Mumun Period (1500–850 B.C.). The first societies led by big-men or chiefs emerged in the Middle Mumun (850–550 B.C.), and the first ostentatious elite burials can be traced to the Late Mumun (c. 550–300 B.C.).
