|
During the Samhan period, the three confederacies of Mahan, Jinhan, and Byeonhan dominated the southern portion of the Korean peninsula. The name Samhan means "Three Han," and refers to these confederacies. The period is also sometimes referred to as the "Proto-Three-Kingdoms period." [1] (http://www.tgmuseum.org/museum/english/body_02/body02_1_05.htm) The Samhan period is usually reckoned to begin around the time of the fall of Wiman Joseon in 108 BCE, which appears to coincide with the decline of the Jin state, and to continue through the third century CE, after which time the Three Kingdoms period begins.
Geography
The exact locations occupied by the different Samhan tribes are disputed. It is also quite likely that some of their locations changed over time. Based on a passage in the Samguk Sagi, some historians have argued that Mahan was located in the northern region later occupied by Goguryeo, Jinhan in the region later occupied by Silla, and Byeonhan in the southwestern region later occupied by Baekje. However, this view is contradicted by the earlier San guo zhi, as well as various other Korean sources, and is not widely held by historians today. Most follow the San guo zhi in placing Mahan in the southwest, Jinhan in the southeast, and Byeonhan between them.
Villages were usually constructed deep in high mountain valleys, where they were relatively secure from attack. Mountain fortresses were also often constructed as places of refuge during war. The minor states which made up the federations are usually considered to have covered about as much land as a modern-day myeon, or township.
Based on historical and archeological records, river and sea routes appear to have been the primary means of long-distance transportation and trade (Yi, 2001, p. 246). It is thus not surprising that Jinhan and Byeonhan, with their coastal and river locations, became particularly prominent in international trade during this time.
Three Hans
Byeonhan
See main article: Byeonhan
Byeonhan included 12 minor states, which later gave rise to the Gaya confederacy. It is usually considered to have been located in the Nakdong River valley.
Jinhan
See main article: Jinhan
Jinhan included 12 minor states, one of which would later become Silla. It is usually considered to have been located along the East Sea coast.
Mahan
See main article: Mahan
Mahan was the largest of the three confederacies. It was reckoned to include 54 minor states, one of which was the precursor of Baekje. Mahan is usually considered to have been located in the southwest of the peninsula, covering Jeolla, Chungcheong, and portions of Gyeonggi.
Political structure
Lee (1984) regards the Samhan as an example of "confederated kingdoms" composed of "walled-town states," an interpretation which is still widely accepted. Each appears to have had a ruling elite, whose power was a mix of politics and shamanism. Although each state appears to have had its own ruler, there is no evidence of systematic succession.
Technology
The Samhan saw the systematic introduction of iron into the southern Korean peninsula. This was taken up with particular intensity by the Byeonhan states of the Nakdong River valley, which manufactured and exported iron armor and weapons throughout Northeast Asia.
The introduction of iron technology also facilitated growth in agriculture, as iron tools made the clearing and cultivation of land much easier. It appears that at this time the modern-day Jeolla area emerged as a center of rice production (Kim, 1974).
Relations
The external relations of the Samhan peoples were largely limited to their contact with the Chinese commanderies located in the northern part of the peninsula. The commanderies, among which Lelang commandery predominated, appear to have maintained separate diplomatic relations with each individual state rather than with the heads of the confederacies as such. This policy may have hindered the development of full-fledged states in the region, as Lee (1984) contends. Yi (2001) notes that these "emissary trade" relations were also a way for local leaders to enhance their own power.
For much of the Samhan period, the relations of the Chinese commanderies with the Samhan states mirrored those of China with its tributaries; a politically-driven trading system in which "tribute" was exchanged for titles or prestige gifts such as bronze mirrors. Official seals were used to identify each tribal leader and confirm his authorization to trade with the commandery. However, this system appears to have changed after the fall of the Kingdom of Wei in the third century. The San guo zhi reports that the Lelang commandery handed out official seals and garments freely to local commoners. Yi (2001, p. 245) states that "By the third century, the Chinese garments and official seals no longer symbolized political authority ... instead, they began to be used as a certification of qualification to trade with the Chinese commanderies."
The Chinese commanderies also played an important economic role as a supplier of luxury goods and market for local products. Through informal trade, Chinese coins began to circulate; Han dynasty coins have been excavated throughout the Korean peninsula. A popular Chinese luxury item in the informal trade was beads, which the San guo zhi reports were more popular than gold or silver with Samhan consumers. This was exchanged for local products such as iron or raw silk. Trade relations also existed with the emergent states of Japan at this time, most commonly involving the exchange of ornamental Japanese bronzeware for Korean iron. These trade relations shifted in the third century, when the Yamatai federation of Kyushu gained monopolistic control over Japanese trade with Byeonhan.
After the second century CE, as direct Chinese influence waned, iron ingots came into use as currency for the trade based around Jinhan and Byeonhan.
See also
References
Kim, J.-B. (1974). Characteristics of Mahan in ancient Korean society. Korea Journal 14(6), 4-10. [2] (http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?VOLUMENO=14&BOOKNUM=6&PAPERNUM=1)
Lee, K.-b. (1984). A new history of Korea. Tr. by E.W. Wagner & E.J. Schulz, based on 1979 rev. ed. Seoul: Ilchogak. ISBN 89-337-0204-0
Yi, H.-h. (2001). International trade system in East Asia from the first to the fourth century. Korea Journal 41(4), 239-268. [3] (http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?VOLUMENO=41&BOOKNUM=4&PAPERNUM=11)
| 
