Choson/History

Faction Overview	Strategic Overview	History

Korea, located on a large peninsula on the eastern coast of the Asian mainland, has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Although seemingly small and ill fitted for agriculture, Korea nevertheless has much to offer: iron and coal, vast shorelines, as well as an amphibious shortcut between Japan and the rest of Asia. Understandably, Korea experienced many invasions by its larger neighbors in its 2,000 years of recorded history.

Most of what we know of the earliest histories of this land however, were not compiled until the Middle Ages. Of these, the Samguk yusa probably is the most important, as it recorded the many myths and legends regarding the roots of Korean civilisation, as well as mentioning the first Korean king: Tangun. According to the Samguk yusa, the first Korean state had divine provenance: the son of the sky god, Hwanung, descended to earth, and founded a city named Asadal in Korea. A bear named Ungnyeo asked Hwanung to turn her into a human. This Hwanung did, and Ungnyeo later married Hwanung and gave birth to Tangun, the first king of Korea. Under Tangun and his descendents, Korea was divided into 11 parts, each one presided over by a single tribal confederacy.

Land of the Morning Calm

While the very nature of Tangun (and his very existence) continue to be hotly debated in Korea (Tangun is assumed to be an actual human individual by scholars in North Korea), a more nuanced and tangible view of what Korean life was like 3,000 years ago is available to us, thanks to the way of the spade. We now know, from excavations across the past century, that 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. Dwellings of this period are typically subterranean with a roof supported by poles and have a central hearth. Villages tend to be located on hillsides and sometimes enclosed within a wooden perimeter fence. Archaeological finds include jewellery made from stone, bone and shell; chipped stone hand-axes; stone pestle and mortars; stone ploughs, sickles, and hoes; and obsidian or slate arrowheads. Early pottery, especially in the form of flat-bottomed brown bowls with incised decoration, shows a cultural link with communities in the Liaoning province and Liaodong peninsula of China. Neolithic pottery and obsidian objects also indicate an early maritime trade with ancient Japan.

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 likely used as tomb markers. Other types of burials take the form of stone-lined cist graves with precious goods such as amazonite jewellery being buried with the deceased.

Agriculture was first practised from the second millennium BCE and aided by the introduction of rice cultivation from China by 700 BCE. The Korean Bronze Age covered the same period with the metal culture brought from Manchuria. The presence of fine bronze goods such as swords, bells, and mirrors in certain tombs along the Taedon River indicates a culture with a tribal elite. Other common bronze items include slender daggers, spearheads, belt buckles, and fan-shaped axes. The Korean Iron Age began in the 3rd century BCE as evidenced by tomb finds of that date in Gyeongju (Kyongju). It was in this period that the first state was formed, Gojoseon.

General

"In Korea, the Bronze Age began around the 15th century BCE, with the everyday use of mumun pottery, ground stone tools, and wooden tools. During this period, only a few people possessed bronze tools, which served either as symbols of authority or as ritual instruments. Agriculture continued to develop, including the beginning of rice farming, which led to the formation of larger settlements that resembled the rural villages of today. Notably, this era also saw the establishment of social classes, and the appearance of the first Korean nation of Gojoseon. Gojoseon lasted until the Iron Age, flourishing mainly in the northwest of the Korean Peninsula, and challenging the Yan, Qin, and Han Dynasties of China. In fact, Gojoseon was powerful enough to defeat the Han in an early conflict of a war that lasted about a year. Nevertheless, the prolonged war eventually triggered internal strife that brought on the collapse of Gojoseon in 108 BCE. Around the same time that Gojoseon fell, smaller dominions like Buyeo, Goguryeo, Okjeo, Dongye, and Samhan were gaining power and territory in different regions of the Korean Peninsula."

Gojoseon: The First Kingdom

The kingdom of Gojoseon (Gochoson, "Old Choson"), according to Korean mythology as recounted in the 13th-century CE Samguk yusa ('Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'), was traditionally believed by Koreans to have been founded by Tangun. Archaeological evidence suggests that the state was formed from the alliance of small fortified towns around the Daedong (Taedong) and Liao River basins perhaps from the 7th century BCE and more certainly from the 4th century BCE. Although mentioned in the c. 100 BCE text Records of the Grand Historian written by the Chinese historian Sima Qian, modern historians continue to debate whether it is possible to describe Gojoseon as a state proper, when exactly did it exist, where was its capital, and what were the exact territories under its control.

Nevertheless, Gojoseon prospered due to agricultural improvements (with iron tools introduced from China) and plentiful natural resources like gold, silver, copper, tin, and zinc. At this time the famous ondol underfloor heating system was invented and the first Korean grey stoneware produced. However, Gojoseon was weakened by attacks from the neighbouring Yan state c. 300 BCE, and a long decline set in. Gojoseon finally collapsed in the 2nd century BCE, and its successor, Wiman Joseon, did not last very long either for in 108 BCE it was conquered by the Han dynasty of China (206 BCE – 220 CE). The Han were interested in natural resources such as salt and iron and they divided northern Korea into four commanderies directly administered by their central government.

Gojoseon's territories would later become Goguryeo (Koguryo) while the southern part of Korea at this time, often referred to as the Proto-Three Kingdoms period, was spilt into the Three Hans of Pyonhan, Mahan, and Chinhan (no connection to the Chinese Han), which became the three states of Baekje (Paekche), Gaya (Kaya), and Silla in the subsequent Three Kingdoms period. These kingdoms benefitted from the sophisticated culture brought by refugees from the collapsed Gojoseon and defeated Wiman Joseon states.

References

• Ancient History Encyclopedia,
  1. Ancient Korea
  2. https://www.ancient.eu/Dangun/
• National Museum of Korea; Prehistory and Ancient History