A Study on the Formation of Political Body in Paleo-Gimhae Bay and the Advent of the Ruling Class

Abstract

This study examined a phase in history from the society that built dolmens to the period when wooden coffin graves appeared and the state of Garak was established centering on Paleo-Gimhae Bay. The nine-ruler society related with the dolmen constructing group was divided by settlements which had superiority and inferiority as well as the sense of independence. With the spread of Korean bronze dagger culture, the nine-ruler society went through the formation of villages through the phase of ritual community centering on dominant settlements, and in particular, this is shown prominently in the basin of Haebancheon Stream. In the case of dolmen in Gusan-dong, the scope of the ritual community is such that it as large as the spatial scope of Eup-rap(邑落). The ritual center has a close relationship with the political center. Around the beginning of the common era, wooden coffin graves appeared in relation to immigrants and the state of Garak was established. The geopolitical characteristics of the Paleo- Gimhae Bay as the base of international trade must have played the biggest role in the economic background for the formation of Eup-rap(邑落) and the establishment of the state of Garak. The nature of the leader of the group must have shifted from leader to ruler in this process. The leader in the dolmen constructing society is the community-oriented leader who emphasizes the unity of the entire group than the personal authority whereas the leader in the wooden coffin constructing group is the leader emphasizing personal authority, forming the full-scale political body.