L'Age du Fer dans le sud-ouest de la péninsule coréenne d'après les données archéologiques

Abstract

This article presents a synthesis of work undertaken by Korean archaeologists on the Iron Age in the south-west of the peninsula, a field of research which has considerably progressed since the late seventies. Firstly, a broad outline is sketched of the development of cultural groups centred on the Han, Kum and Yongsan basins, as well as their main characteristics, from the first contacts with Iron Age culture up to the formative period of the Paekche kingdom. There follows a discussion of the principal research questions in Korean Iron Age studies, including the relations between these groups and the Chinese headquarters at Lelang, the origins of the earliest stoneware and the problem of keyhole-shaped mounds. It is ultimately shown that, despite the relatively late start of archaeological research in the south-west of the peninsula, the results are far from negligible and that there is much to learn from this original region, which has many cultural traits and innovative elements of its own, but which is also closely linked to developments in neighbouring regions and countries.