[중3역사 총정리-한국사편] 중학교 역사② 1단원 전체 총정리 / 구석기부터 삼국시대까지!!

Korean History Unit 1: From Prehistory to the Three Kingdoms

Teacher Lim reviews the first unit of middle-school Korean history, covering prehistoric life, Gojoseon, the Iron Age states, the Three Kingdoms and Gaya, and their society and culture.

1. Prehistoric Culture and Gojoseon

Paleolithic Age

• Began on the Korean Peninsula about 700,000 years ago.
• People used chipped stone tools, including hand axes and points.
• They hunted and gathered, moved in search of food, and lived in caves or temporary shelters.
• They used fire and left evidence of symbolic or ritual practices, such as cave paintings and sculptures.
• Representative sites include Jeongok-ri in Yeoncheon and Geumunmoru Cave. The Yeokpo Child is cited as an example of a fossil human discovered on the peninsula.

Neolithic Age

• Began around 8000 BCE.
• People used polished stone tools and pottery, including comb-pattern pottery.
• Farming and animal husbandry began, encouraging settled life in pit houses.
• Spindle whorls and bone needles indicate that people made clothing.
• Society was organized in tribes and remained broadly egalitarian, without established social classes.
• Beliefs included animism, totemism, and shamanism.
• Representative sites include Amsa-dong in Seoul and Dongsam-dong in Busan.

Bronze Age

• Began around 2000 BCE.
• Bronze objects included lute-shaped bronze swords, mirrors with geometric designs, and casting molds. Polished stone tools, such as crescent-shaped stone knives, remained in everyday use.
• Rice cultivation spread in some areas. People formed villages in suitable farming locations, and houses increasingly became above-ground structures.
• Pottery included plain pottery and Misong-ri-style pottery, recognizable in part by its handles.
• Social classes and rulers emerged, along with chiefdoms. Dolmens are evidence of the power and status of rulers.

Gojoseon

• According to the traditional account in the Dongguk Tonggam, Gojoseon was founded by Dangun Wanggeom in 2333 BCE.
• The Dangun myth illustrates ideas including a chosen people, agriculture, social hierarchy, and totemism. The name “Dangun Wanggeom” also suggests that religious and political leadership were combined.
• Gojoseon was centered in Manchuria and the northern Korean Peninsula. Lute-shaped bronze swords, table-shaped dolmens, and Misong-ri-style pottery are associated with it.
• Iron tools later strengthened the kingdom, while distinctive bronze objects—including slender bronze daggers and intricately patterned mirrors—show the development of a local bronze culture.
• Gojoseon strengthened royal authority through hereditary kingship, official positions, and the Eight Articles of Law. The laws suggest a class-based society that valued life and labor and recognized private property.
• Under Wiman, iron culture and trade expanded. Gojoseon acted as an intermediary in trade between China and the southern Korean Peninsula.
• The Han dynasty eventually conquered Gojoseon after prolonged resistance. It established commanderies in the former territory, including Lelang (Nangnang).

2. Iron Age States

• Iron tools and weapons increased agricultural output and made warfare and territorial expansion more prominent. Bronze continued to be used for some tools and ornaments.
• Several confederated states developed, including Buyeo, Goguryeo, Okjeo, Dongye, and the Samhan—Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan.

Major States and Customs

• Buyeo: Based in Manchuria and supported by farming and animal husbandry. It was a confederation of five groups, including Maga, Uga, Jeoga, and Guga, whose territories were called Sachu-do. The king’s authority was limited by the confederated structure. Its heavenly rite was Yeonggo.
• Goguryeo: Also organized as a five-tribe confederation, with officials and councils involved in government. Its heavenly rite was Dongmaeng. Its marriage custom, seowokje, involved the groom living with the bride’s family and providing labor for a period.
• Okjeo: Ruled by local chiefs rather than a king. It was agriculturally productive and rich in seafood, much of which was sent as tribute to Goguryeo. It practiced goljangje, or joint family burials, and minyeomeonje, a marriage custom in which a future bride lived with her future in-laws from a young age.
• Dongye: Also ruled by local chiefs and known for coastal resources and products such as the short bow and small horses. Its customs included chaekhwa, which prohibited encroachment on another tribe’s territory, and the heavenly rite Mucheon.
• Samhan: Led by chiefs such as the Sinji and Eupcha, alongside religious leaders called Cheongun, who presided over sacred areas known as Sodo. This suggests a distinction between political and religious authority. Rice farming was important, and seasonal rites were held in May and October.
• Byeonhan was particularly known for iron production and trade. Its development contributed to the rise of Gaya. Mahan is also discussed in relation to the later development of Baekje.

3. The Three Kingdoms and Gaya

A centralized state is a kingdom with a systematic government and strong royal authority. The lecture identifies Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla as centralized states. Their development involved law codes, Buddhism’s support for royal authority, and territorial expansion.

Goguryeo

• Founded at Jolbon in 37 BCE by Jumong, a descendant of Buyeo. King Yuri later moved the capital to Gungnae.
• King Taejo conquered Okjeo and established hereditary succession. Under King Gogukcheon, succession shifted to a father-to-son system, and tribal divisions were reorganized as administrative units.
• King Micheon expelled the Lelang Commandery and expanded toward Liaodong.
• Goguryeo faced serious setbacks under King Gogukwon, including the loss of the capital and his death in a battle with Baekje.
• King Sosurim strengthened the state by adopting Buddhism, promulgating laws, and establishing Taehak, a national academy.
• King Gwanggaeto expanded Goguryeo’s territory into Liaodong and Manchuria and extended its influence over Silla after helping repel invaders. The Gwanggaeto Stele records his achievements, and Yeongnak was his era name.
• King Jangsu moved the capital to Pyongyang and pursued southward expansion. Goguryeo took the Han River region from Baekje; the Chungju Goguryeo Stele is evidence of its presence south of the river.
• Goguryeo later lost the Han River region to Silla and Baekje, and conflicts among the kingdoms intensified.

Baekje

• Founded at Wiryeseong in 18 BCE by Onjo, traditionally described as a son of Jumong.
• King Goi established official ranks, including the Jwapyeong, introduced rank and dress systems, and annexed Mokji.
• King Geunchogo led Baekje’s fourth-century peak. Baekje expanded into Mahan and northward, and developed foreign relations and trade. The Seven-Branched Sword (Chiljido) is cited as evidence of its ties with Japan and its ironworking.
• In the fifth century, Goguryeo’s southward expansion led to the fall of Baekje’s capital, Hanseong, and the death of King Gaero. Baekje moved its capital to Ungjin.
• King Muryeong strengthened provincial administration and ties with China’s Southern Dynasties. The Tomb of King Muryeong and the painting known as Yangjikgongdo are cited as evidence of cultural connections.
• King Seong moved the capital to Sabi, adopted the name Southern Buyeo, and reorganized central and regional administration. Baekje temporarily retook the Han River region with Silla, but Silla later took it back. King Seong died fighting Silla at Gwansanseong, ending the alliance between the kingdoms.

Silla

• Traditionally founded by Park Hyeokgeose. Its location contributed to a slower start than those of Goguryeo and Baekje.
• The Park, Seok, and Kim clans initially took turns ruling. Silla’s royal title changed over time, and King Naemul established hereditary succession within the Kim clan.
• King Jijeung adopted the name Silla, began using the title “king,” encouraged ox-drawn plowing, and conquered Usan (Ulleungdo).
• King Beopheung promulgated laws, established official ranks and government offices, officially recognized Buddhism, and conquered Geumgwan Gaya.
• King Jinheung promoted Buddhism, organized the Hwarang as a national institution, expanded into the Han River region, and conquered Daegaya. Monuments such as the Bukhansan Monument and Danyang Jeokseongbi record Silla’s expansion.
• Silla society was structured by the bone-rank system, which regulated access to offices and aspects of everyday life. Its Hwabaek Council made decisions unanimously and was headed by the Sangdaedeung. The lecture also notes Goguryeo’s Jega Council and Baekje’s Jeongsang Council.

Gaya

• Gaya began as a confederation in the Byeonhan region, not as a centralized kingdom.
• Geumgwan Gaya, centered in Gimhae, initially led the confederation. Later, Daegaya, based around Goryeong, became the leading power.
• Gaya developed through diplomacy and trade but was eventually absorbed by Silla. The lecture highlights its strong iron culture and distinctive pottery, which influenced Japan.

4. Society, Culture, and Foreign Relations

Social Structure and Tombs

• Ancient society was hierarchical, comprising rulers and aristocrats, commoners, and lower-status groups. Material living conditions differed by class.
• Tomb murals and grave goods offer evidence of social life and status. For example, the murals in Goguryeo’s Muyong Tomb depict attendants serving elites.
• Tomb styles differed by kingdom:
  • Goguryeo: Early stone-mound tombs, such as the Janggun Tomb, were followed by stone-chamber tombs with entrances and murals.
  • Baekje: Early stone-mound tombs were followed by stone-chamber tombs. The Tomb of King Muryeong is distinctive as a brick tomb influenced by China’s Southern Dynasties.
  • Silla: Stone-mound chamber tombs were often sealed without entrances or murals. Cheonmachong yielded a gold crown and a painting of a celestial horse.
  • Gaya: Stone-mound chamber tombs included the Jisan-dong and Daeseong-dong tomb complexes.

Foreign Exchange

• Goguryeo exchanged goods and ideas with Chinese dynasties and nomadic peoples through overland and maritime routes. The Afrasiab murals and figures from the Western Regions in Goguryeo tomb art are cited as evidence of distant contacts.
• Baekje maintained active relations with Chinese states and especially close ties with Japan.
• Silla also traded with China and the Western Regions despite its earlier geographical isolation. A Persian glass vessel found in a Gyeongju tomb is presented as evidence.
• The Three Kingdoms and Gaya influenced Japan through the transmission of writing, Confucian learning, Buddhism, science, technology, art, and ironworking. Baekje scholars and specialists contributed to Japanese learning and temple construction.
• Similarities between Goguryeo and Japanese tomb murals, and between Korean and Japanese Buddhist sculptures, illustrate this cultural influence. These exchanges contributed to the development of Japan’s Asuka culture.

Religion, Education, and Technology

• Buddhism was closely associated with royal authority and the ruling class. State temples included Mireuksa in Baekje and Hwangnyongsa in Silla. The lecture also highlights the stone pagoda at Mireuksa and Bunhwangsa’s brick-style stone pagoda.
• Taoism also developed. Goguryeo tomb murals feature the Four Divine Beasts; Baekje examples include landscape-pattern bricks and the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner.
• Confucianism was taught through institutions and scholars: Goguryeo’s Taehak, Baekje’s scholars of the Five Classics, and Silla’s Confucian education, for which the Imsin Stone Inscription is cited as evidence.
• Astronomy developed in part because rulers used natural phenomena to reinforce their authority. Goguryeo tombs contain astronomical imagery, and Silla’s Cheomseongdae was used for observing the stars.
• Fine metalworking is evident in objects such as Baekje’s gilt-bronze incense burner, Silla’s gold crowns, and the kingdoms’ ornaments and Buddhist images.

Speakers and Sources

• Speaker: Teacher Lim (림쌤), the history instructor and narrator.
• Textual source: Dongguk Tonggam, cited for the traditional account of Gojoseon’s founding.
• Historical and archaeological materials: The Dangun myth; inscriptions and monuments such as the Gwanggaeto Stele, Chungju Goguryeo Stele, Bukhansan Monument, Danyang Jeokseongbi, and Imsin Stone Inscription; as well as tombs, murals, pottery, weapons, religious objects, and other artifacts.