Ancient Korea Research Articles

한국 고대 ‘書記’ 제도의 기원과 전개

한국 고대 ‘書記’ 제도의 기원과 전개

『사기』 「조선열전」에 나타난 패수 위치 고찰

Regarding the geography of ancient Korea, the location of the Pei River, which formed the border between the Western Han dynasty and the Joseon of Wiman, has long been a subject of sharp debate. This is because the Pei River is regarded as the western boundary of Gojoseon. The problem is that since the name Pei was recorded in the Records of the Shiji (史記), the course of the river has changed over time, and so various claims about its position have been presented. The theories concerning the location of the Pei River can be divided into the Korean Peninsula theories (Taedong River, Cheongcheon River, Yalu River), the Liaodong Peninsula theories (Yuni River, Hun River), and the former province of Liaoxi theories (Daling River, Luan River, Chaobai River). The theories claiming that the Pei River is either the Cheongcheon River or the Yalu River in North Korea have received the most support from domestic academia. However, the Korean Peninsula theories and the Liaodong Peninsula theories both have a problem in that the location and direction of the Pei River were not verified according to records made around the time such as the Hanshu (漢書), the Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), and the Shuijing (水經). There was a Pei River on the border of Liaodong during the Western Han and, at that time, Liaodong appears to have been located in literature in the present-day Beijing area. Since the capital of Wiman Joseon was said to be in Changli County, Hebei Province, the Pei River recorded in the Records of the Shiji can only be a river between Beijing and Changli Count

결혼이민자 대상 한국어 교육 방안 연구

The purpose of this paper is to present the story of Heo Hwang-ok, a character in the Gaya Founding Mythology, recorded in the History of the Three Kingdoms, to the Korean Second language education for marriage immigrants. To this end, we first examine the current status of old stories covered in Korean textbooks for marriage immigrants and present features that can be used through Heo Hwang-ok's story in Korean Second language education for marriage immigrants. In Korean language education, old stories have been used as a way to learn Korean values and lifestyles or to compare them with old stories in the learner's motherland. Accordingly, this paper presents the story of Heo Hwang-ok, a character in the Gaya founding myth of the Three Kingdoms recorded in the History of the Three Kingdoms, as a material for Korean Second language education for marriage immigrants. There are a total of three materials presented in this paper: narrative cultural elements, character cultural elements, and usable content materials. The narrative cultural element is about the cultural element that existed in ancient Korea and is about the faith of ancient Korea. The character culture elements are about the characteristics of Heo Hwang-ok and King Suro, the main characters, and are about cultural phenomena dealt with in modern Korea through their characteristics. Content materials are content projects conducted by Gimhae-si and Internet materials that can be used for learning. Based on the data presented later, the educational plan is presented in a general manner.

Production techniques of black burnished potteries from the Hanseong Period of the Baekje Kingdom (fourth to fifth century AD) in Ancient Korea

Production techniques of black burnished potteries from the Hanseong Period of the Baekje Kingdom (fourth to fifth century AD) in Ancient Korea

My husband, do you want our family (韓) to be miserable (弊)? Please give me your wife a lot of (煩) agony (刑), then, it will be so. Our family will be surely diminished and be poor! (Tcheonzamun 577th-592nd)

French missionary Dallet (1874) wrote in his book that ‘The thousand character essay’ (It is called as ‘Tcheonzamun’ in Korean language) had been used as a textbook for Chinese character education for children and Dallet (1874) described that this same book had been utilized both in the ancient China and in the ancient Korea. For the present researcher, there were two methods for the translation. The first method for the translation is through Korean pronunciation of the Chinese characters on the Tcheonzamun poem. The second method is through the meaning of Chinese characters of the poem. The title of this study is ‘My husband, do you want our family (韓) to be miserable (弊)? Please give me your wife a lot of (煩) agony (刑), then, it will be so. Our family will be surely diminished and be poor!’ And the next is the result of the research of the poem (Tcheonzamun 577th-592nd).

Gajnullina Lyajlya Ajdarovna – Senior lecturer at the Department of Altaic Studies and Sinology

This article deals with the study of the cultural influence of Chinese civilization on the cultural developments in the Korean Peninsula in antiquity. Chinese civilization, which originated long before the cultures of neighbouring countries, considerably influenced the formation of the political and social systems and also culture, life, beliefs and everyday life in the countries adjacent to China. Although this topic has received attention several times, however, the specific research interest of the authors is to focus on the influence of Chinese culture on the bronze foundry production of Ancient Korea. In particular, this is the production of funeral bronze mirrors, which were originally used by both the Chinese and ancient Koreans for religious and cult purposes. The authors have traced the direct influence of the Chinese bronze casting technique on the development of bronze casting art in the ancient Korean proto-states. This indicates an obvious cultural influence of the neighbouring civilization. The authors used items from the museums of the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan.

『万葉集』선집에 관한 비판적 고찰 - 성과와 과제 -

In this paper, anthology of 『Manyoushuu』published after 1945 is considered. These anthologies are generally recognized for their achievements in that they introduced works that contain Japanese specificity as well as universal sentiments of mankind to Korea. However, these anthologies are disappointing in that they are not collections of works that actively reflect the perspectives of Koreans. In this paper, from the standpoint of critically inheriting and developing the achievements of previous studies, we propose a new anthology of 『Manyoushuu』, which intensively introduces works closely related to ancient Korea. However, the existing anthologies and the new anthologies are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they are complementary to each other. Therefore, I think the reader will be able to appreciate the representative works of 『Manyoushuup』 more broadly through two anthologies with different personalities.

Do you know that you are fortunate, Augustin? Yes, my Lord Jesus Christ, I know that I am very fortunate with my wife Hyeonhi! (Tcheonzamun 225th-240th)

The French missionary Dallet (1874) wrote in his book that there was a common textbook for Chinese character instruction to their children both in the ancient China and in the ancient Korea. The common textbook, it was Tcheonzamun. It was called ‘The thousand character essay’ in English. The present researcher tried to translate the poem (Tcheonzamun 225th-240th). 225-228 禍(Hwa) 因(In)-一=口人 惡(Ag) 積(Zeog)-一=禾土貝 If you enter solely your wife (人) into the house (口), and if you make your wife in difficulty (禍), the harvest of your rice (禾) and the condition of your field (土) and the harvest of your shell in the sea (貝)will be deteriorated (惡). 233-236 尺(Tcheog) 璧(Byeog) 非(Bi) 寶(Bo) 철벅! 비벼 Tcheolbeog ! Bibyeo My husband treated me his wife in a very bad manner, he drove me into the water! He soaked me in the water.

The figure of Saint Mary is warm! (Tcheonzamun 257th-272nd)

The title is ‘The figure of Saint Mary is warm!’ French missionary Dallet (1874) expressed that Tcheonzamun (The thousand character essay) was used as a textbook for the children in the ancient China and in ancient Korea. It was used for instruction of Chinese character in the above two countries etc. There are two methods for the present researcher to translate Tcheonzamun poem. The one is through the meaning of Chinese character, the other is through Korean pronunciation of Chinese character. In the present study, the first method (through meaning of Chinese character) was utilized. The present study ranged for Tcheonzamun 257th-272nd. Number in Tcheonzamun Chinese characters (Pronunciation of Korean language in English alphabet) 261-264 夙(Sug) 興(Heung) 溫(On) (淸-‘)(Tcheong) My dear husband, if you want to sleep well (夙) and deeply (興), please make the cold place (淸-‘) warm (溫)! As the bed is warm, you can sleep well. When the relation between you my husband and me your wife were good, my husband, you can live well!

My husband, do you want to have (盡) good relation with me (忠), your wife, by inspecting me (目) and by your power (刀)? You had better use the very (一) important method (ρ), it is your talking to me (口)! (Tcheonzamun 241st-256th)

The French missionary Dallet (1874) wrote in his book that Tcheonzamun (The thousand character essay) had been used for textbook for children’s education for Chinese character in the ancient China and in the ancient Korea. This time, a poem of (Tcheonzamun 241st-256th) was studied. 253-256 忠(Tchung) 則(Tchig) 盡(Zin) 命(Myeong) 칙칙해지면! Tchigtchig Haezimyeon! My husband! When there are too many other people here! (Because I feel shy in front of other people!) 253-256 忠(Tchung) 則(Tchig)-人=目刀 盡(Zin) 命(Myeong)-人=一口ρ My husband, do you want to have (盡) good relation with me (忠), your wife, by inspecting me (目) and by your power (刀)? You had better use the very (一) important method (ρ), it is your talking to me (口)!

You gave me a good job in Joongbu University. My Lord, thank you so much! (Tcheonzamun 241st-256th)

Dallet (1874) wrote in his book that Tcheonzamun (The thousand character essay) was a textbook of Chinese character for the children of the ancient China and those of the ancient Korea. There are two methods for interpret of Tcheonzamun (The thousand character essay) poem. The one is translation through the meaning of Chinese character, and the other is through Korean pronunciation of Chinese character. This time, the present study was carried out on the meaning of Chinese character. The present researcher studied a poem of Tcheonzamun 241st-256th. 245-248 曰(Wal) 嚴(Eom) 與(Yeo) 敬(Gyeong) If I am able to speak (曰) to them on common manner (or somewhat roughly) (嚴), to my family members and to my colleagues on my working place, I must have the important thing. It is the affection (敬) for them in my heart deeply (與).

Northeastern Asian and Jomon-related genetic structure in the Three Kingdoms period of Gimhae, Korea

The genetic history of prehistoric and protohistoric Korean populations is not well understood because only a small number of ancient genomes are available. Here, we report the first paleogenomic data from the Korean Three Kingdoms period, a crucial point in the cultural and historic formation of Korea. These data comprise eight shotgun-sequenced genomes from ancient Korea (0.7×-6.1× coverage). They were derived from two archeological sites in Gimhae: the Yuha-ri shell mound and the Daesung-dong tumuli, the latter being the most important funerary complex of the Gaya confederacy. All individuals are from between the 4th and 5th century CE and are best modeled as an admixture between a northern China Bronze Age genetic source and a source of Jomon-related ancestry that shares similarities with the present-day genomes from Japan. The observed substructure and proportion of Jomon-related ancestry suggest the presence of two genetic groups within the population and diversity among the Gaya population. We could not correlate the genomic differences between these two groups with either social status or sex. All the ancient individuals' genomic profiles, including phenotypically relevant SNPs associated with hair and eye color, facial morphology, and myopia, imply strong genetic and phenotypic continuity with modern Koreans for the last 1,700 years.

I Am Proud of My Father Ilsoo Joseph; Because He is Very Sympathetic and Simple! (Tcheonzamun 193rd-208th)

The French missionary, Dallet (1874) wrote in his book that there was same book for the children education for the Chinese character education both in ancient China and in ancient Korea, and he expressed it Tcheonzamun (The thousand character essay). The author studied the translation of Tcheonzamun poem through the meaning of Chinese character and through Korean pronunciation of Chinese character. And one of the goal of this study is to know the history of ancient Korea. This translation, it is the poem from 193rd to 208th letters of Tcheonzamun (The thousand character essay). Here, the method was taken through the meaning of Chinese character on the translation. 193-196 墨(Mug) 悲(Bi) 絲(Sa) 染(Yeom) “In order to do the thing (絲) well done (染), we might do the sacrifice, for example, the grief or the sorrow (悲). And then, we can obtain the thing (墨) which we want.” This is my attitude as the father of my children in my family. 197-200詩 (Si) 讚(Tchan) 羔(Go) 羊(Yang) Differently, the next is the attitude of my wife Hyeonhi for the children education. And she often said to me as follows. "No, it is so! To do command to children is not good! In order to grow (羊) the children (羔), we might give them praise or speak good of them (讚) as we sing a song (詩).” 201-204 景(Kyeong) 行(Haeng) 維(Yu) 賢(Hyeon). “In order for other people (行) and myself also to keep continuously good and bright and in delight (景), I must have (維).the virtue (賢).” This expressed the method of children education which was recommended by the author of Tcheonzamun. 205-208 克(Keug) 念(Nyeom) 作(Zag) 聖(Seong) This is not attitude of me but of Hyeonhi. And it is the supposition of the author of Tcheonzamun. “It is not so difficult! In order to overcome (克) the false thought (念), you have the simple method (作); Let’s live in good manner for our lives (聖)!”

A critique of the theory that does not admit that immigrants from ancient Korea to Japan were large. - Focusing on Sekine Hideyuki's Tsuda Sokichi research -

A critique of the theory that does not admit that immigrants from ancient Korea to Japan were large. - Focusing on Sekine Hideyuki's Tsuda Sokichi research -

Interpretation of Construction Procedure and Physicochemical Characteristics for Soil Layers from Sowangneung (Small Royal Tomb) of Ssangneung (Twin Tombs) in Iksan, Korea

The Iksan Ssangneung (twin tombs), a pair of tombs comprising the Daewangneung (large royal tomb) and the Sowangneung (small royal tomb), were constructed in the typical style of stone tunnel and chamber tombs in the Baekje Kingdom during the Sabi period (538 to 660 AD) of ancient Korea. Soil layers exposed during excavation of Sowangneung in a trench east of the tomb are: the bottommost layer, the ground level layer, the Panchuk (rammed earth) layer of the Baekje, the layer created by a grave robbery, and soil recovered during the Japanese colonial period. Soil samples were obtained by segmenting an easy stratigraphic horizon into sub categorized soil layers, and their material properties were analyzed; they are composed mainly of sandy loam based on the particle size distributions. In the site foundation, loamy sand is packed in the bottommost layer, and sandy loam with high sand and silty sand fills most of the overlying layer. The central and topmost portion of the Baekje layer is composed of loam with high clay content. All soil layers show geochemical behaviors similar to those of the bottommost layer. X-ray diffraction analysis verified kaolinite in all layers, also observed in soil layers displaying high crystallinity. Kaolinite and halloysite were identified by scanning electron microscopy. Thus, we conclude that the Baekje layer of the Sowangneung is composed of sandy loam containing kaolin procured from near the site. An impermeable middle to upper layer was created using viscous loam. The top of the tomb was closed tightly.

Recognizing the Correlation of Architectural Drawing Methods between Ancient Mathematical Books and Octagonal Timber-framed Monuments in East Asia

ABSTRACT Octagonal buildings in ancient Korea were mostly constructed in the likeness of Buddhist pagodas that emerged during the Goguryeo era. The ancient Chinese books of Jiuzhang Suanshu and Yingzao Fashi confirm that, in constructing Fogongsi’s Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, the ancients could not design a full-form regular octagonal plan in the pre-seventeenth century before the introduction of Western mathematics. Eight-cornered monuments in Japan and Korea faced the same challenge. Thus, this study examines the acceptance and limitations of adapting octagonal drawing methods in Korean architecture from Chinese and Western mathematics. It conducts comparative studies of architectural and mathematical history in pre-modern and modern times. It reveals that field carpenters applied Yingzao Fashi’s formula in constructing an octagon via a square’s diagonal ratio. Further, the Western method of constructing regular octagons was introduced to the Korean Peninsula in the eighteenth century but was not utilized at work sites. Ultimately, the concepts in mathematics texts had a certain influence on the formative beauty of wooden constructions.

Isotopic investigation of skeletal remains at the Imdang tombs reveals high consumption of game birds and social stratification in ancient Korea

Understanding the development of early states on the Korean Peninsula is an important topic in Korean archaeology. However, it is not clear how social structure was organized by these early states and what natural resources were utilized from their surrounding environments. To investigate dietary adaptation and social status in ancient Korea, stable isotope ratios and radiocarbon dates were measured from humans and animals from the Imdang cemetery, Gyeongsan city, South Korea. The results indicate that the Imdang diet was mainly based on C3 plants and terrestrial animals. Animal remains in the graves were directly consumed as daily food items as well as for ritual offerings. MixSIAR modeling results revealed that the dietary sources for the humans were: game birds > C3 plants > terrestrial herbivores > marine fish > C4 plants. The finding that the game birds represented the highest contribution to the whole diet, indicates that game birds must have been intensively hunted. Furthermore, elites consumed more game birds than their retainers and they also consumed seafood as a privileged dietary item in the Imdang society. This study demonstrates that the Apdok was a stratified society having high variations in the consumption of food items available to an individual and provides new insights about the subsistence and social status of the early ancient Apdok state on the Korean Peninsula.

Play a Trick and Get a Queen: “Divine Tricksters” in Ancient Korea (and Beyond)

Abstract The issue of trickster in old Korean literature has yet to be discussed in a broadly comparative way in a scientific context. Using a structuralist approach, this article addresses the anthropological theme of the “divine trickster” in some stories from ancient Korea and the ancient West. In particular, by examining three famous episodes from Korean folklore alongside three cases from Western fantastic literature, this article investigates the strategies aimed at acquiring the feminine element as represented by high-ranking foreign women. Starting with the hunting mentality of prehistoric society, where man tries to prevail with intelligence over his prey, the article reviews literary episodes from different anthropological contexts (Indo-European societies, Semitic societies of the Near East, and ancient Korean society), underlining their similarities and differences, but always highlighting and emphasizing the presence of a divine trickster. Ultimately, together with the common denominator of the progressive masculinization of the various societies, we note a more passive role of women in the Korean stories, which appear to be of more recent codification than their Western counterparts, and therefore seem more inspired by cultural patterns of patriarchal orientation.

An Experimental Reproduction Study on Characteristics of Woodblock Printing on Traditional Korean Paper (Hanji)

The history of printing technology in Korea is studied by investigating existing ancient documents and records and comparing accumulated data and knowledge. Cultural property research requires non-destructive testing and observation with the naked eye or aided by a microscope. Researchers’ experience and knowledge are required even though they cannot guarantee the outcome. For ancient documents and records that are presumed to consist of woodblock printing, wood type printing, metal type printing, or their combinations, each researcher draws various opinions and conclusions. This often causes confusion and divides the opinions of ordinary citizens and field specialists. Among them, the criteria for judging ancient documents or books printed using woodblock and metal movable material are ambiguous. Academic research on the development history of printing technology in ancient Korea has been stagnant, and conflicts among researchers have also erupted. Involvement of national investigative agencies not specialized in cultural properties has exacerbated the situation. In this study, we investigated printing characteristics that are likely to serve as more objective judgment criteria by quantitatively analyzing the experiments of retrieving several sheets of Korean paper (Hanji) using a replicated Hunminjeongeum (訓民正音) woodblock and quantitatively analyzing the images of the printed papers. In addition, the validity and questions for the typical phenomena presented as a method for distinguishing between woodblock and metal print are reviewed. We investigated the possibility of developing new objective judgement criteria through quantitative analysis using image analysis and investigating the printing characteristics of Korean paper through a reproduction experiment of woodblock printing.

中國 中等職業學校와 普通高中 歷史敎科書의 韓國史 관련 서술 비교

The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China in February 2020 published the "standards for ideological and political education, language, and history in secondary vocational schools," and announced that history will be the first one among these three subjects to become a compulsory part of secondary vocational education, starting from the fall of 2020. The Ministry asserted that the ultimate goal of such attempt is to promote the stability and lasting reign of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese state, emphasizing that history textbooks hold a great deal of strategic significance for the great revival of the Chinese nation. This paper examines the "standards for history education in secondary vocational schools (2020)," and reviews issues associated with the descriptions of Korean history in the current history textbooks of secondary vocational schools, History of China and World History. This study also analyzes how these textbooks describe Korean history, in comparison to The Outline of Chinese and Foreign History (中外歷史綱要), the standard history textbook for general high schools which was published after the country adopted government-issued textbooks when President Xi Jinping began his second term in office. It can be said that Korea accounts for larger shares in History of China and World History for secondary vocational schools, compared to the history textbook used by general high schools, of which descriptions of Korea have been significantly reduced since 2001 when China standardized its textbooks. Further, unlike The Outline of Chinese and Foreign History, these two textbooks have sections dedicated to "ancient Joseon (Korea)," put "Joseon (Korea)" before Japan, and include positive narratives about cultural exchanges between Korea and China. It is worth noting that the textbooks suggest that ancient Korea made a significant contribution to cultural development and that Korean culture was conveyed to China. These run counter to the general trend observed in the Chinese academia, in which research on cultural history―focused on China-centered cultural diffusion― is increasing rapidly and the research outcomes are being incorporated into the textbooks. The Outline of Chinese and Foreign History displays an inherent inconsistency in some parts, and different perceptions of history that do not match those of the country’s previous textbooks. Such a gap is expected to serve as an example that can clearly show how China''s historical perception has changed after President Xi Jinping took power and the country shifted to government-approved textbooks.