The book was written at a time when Korea was under the domination of the Mongols, who at that time ruled all China and Central Asia. The book is thus also valuable in that it gives us an insight into the way this religion developed in the course of Korean history. One of the chief values of this book is that it includes a great deal of material omitted by the official history, so that through it we can gain an understanding of the beliefs and practices of the people of ancient times, if somewhat distorted by the author's Buddhist point of view.įor that matter, the introduction of Buddhism itself dates from the Three Kingdoms period, and Buddhism has had a strong influence on Korean culture ever since.
The second such document is the present work, Samguk Yusa (roughly, Legends of the Three Kingdoms) compiled by Ilyon (1206- 1289), National Priest (Pogak kukjon) of Koryo. It has the faults of most official chronicles, forcing events into a framework pleasing to the government and omitting all matter thought to be embarrassing or indecorous. The first of these, Samguk Sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) was compiled by Kim Pu-sik (1075-1151), a high official of the Koryo court, as the officially sanctioned history of that ancient period. In the case of Korea we are fortunate to have two documents which, while by no means contemporary with the events they describe, rely on ancient sources which by now have mostly disappeared. The difficulty is usually that source materials are very scarce, and most of our understanding of ancient times is based on the findings of archaeology. It is thus essential, if we are to understand a civilization, to study these ancient practices. Objects from Wae include Yayoi pottery, jar coffins, wide bronze spearheads and bronze halberds.Modern civilizations developed from the beliefs and customs of people in prehistoric times. Examples of artifacts originating from the Northern Province include bronze 'Fu' vessels, tiger-shaped buckles, and horse-shaped buckles. In the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, Chinese bronze mirrors, three-legged bronze ritual vessels, bronze buckles, and Chinese coins have been found both from shell middens and tombs. Contact with the cultures of the lower basin of the Nakdong River is demonstrated by archaeological evidence from China, Wae, and Manchuria. Trade is documented in the "Annals of the Three Kingdoms" of Records of the Three Kingdoms, which states that iron from the Nakdong River basin was exported to Lolang and Wae of Japan. The introduction of iron technology enabled the manufacture and use of stronger and sharper weapons and agricultural tools, resulting in an acceleration of political integration, as well as greater concentrations of power and wealth. Bronze and iron were used and iron made at shell midden sites on the southern coast.Īrtifacts typical of the Korean Bronze Dagger culture, some Han Chinese culture, and Northern Steppe cultures have been found together on archaeological sites in this region, indicating independent and extensive interactions by the Koreanic kingdoms and statelets with Han China and various other areas. Important features of this period include the widespread production of iron artifacts for daily use and the introduction of grey earthenware pottery with a beaten pattern.Īrchaeological finds of the period are mainly from Nakrang and Goguryo in the north and Samhan in the south. Byeonhan was absorbed into the later Gaya confederacy, which in turn was annexed by Silla.īecause of this continuity, most historians consider the Three Kingdoms to begin around the fall of Gojoseon, but the three did not dominate the peninsula as kingdoms until around 300. Silla was founded by the unification of six chiefdoms within the Jinhan, traditionally in 57 BC, although it may have been somewhat later.
Baekje was founded in 18 BC in Mahan territory and began to slowly overtake it. In the south, the little-understood state of Jin had given rise to the loose confederacies Jinhan, Byeonhan, and Mahan, or collectively, Samhan. Goguryeo gradually conquered and absorbed all its neighbors, and destroyed the last Chinese commandery in 313. China installed four commanderies in former Gojoseon territory, but three of them fell quickly to Korean resistance. Goguryeo's traditional founding date is 37 BC, but it was mentioned in Chinese records as early as 75 BC. When Gojoseon was defeated by the Han dynasty of China in 108 BC, the northern region of the peninsula and Manchuria was occupied by the states of Buyeo, Goguryeo, Okjeo, Dongye, and other minor statelets.
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