Samhan

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History of Korea-Samhan.png
Korea at the end of
the 1st century BC Chr.
Korean alphabet : 삼한
Hanja : 三 韓
Revised Romanization : Samhan
McCune-Reischauer : Samhan
History of Korea
to the 10th Century
Prehistoric Korea
Antiquity
Proto-three realms
Time of the Three Kingdoms
Northern and Southern states
Later three realms

Samhan ( 삼한 "Three Han" ) describes a time period in which the three Han "confederations", Mahan ( 마한 ), Jinhan (Chinhan) ( 친한 ) and Byeonhan (Pyŏnhan) ( 변한 ), in the central and southern part of the Korean Peninsula , south of the Han River, existed.

In Sanguozhi , written by Chen Shou (233-297), a historian of the Jin Dynasty , Samhan is mentioned extensively in the Wei section. Shou did not provide a source from which he obtained his information. It is assumed, however, that he had extensive access to the state archives.

Origin of name

Samhan is now commonly used as a collective term for the three Han "confederations" or for the period of their existence. Directly translated today, “Sam” would stand for “three” and “Han” for “large” or “one”. Under no circumstances should “Han” be confused with the Chinese Han dynasty . The earliest record and use of the term Samhan ( Chinese  三 韓 ) can be found in the Hanshu scripture , written in AD 36–92, and is said to a. also be the basis here. Later use of the term Samhan for Joseon or Goguryeo should not lead to confusion.

Beginning and duration of the Samhan period

The Samhan period, also known as the proto-three-empire period, is controversial among historians because of its chronological order. The discussion revolves around the period of the actual existence of this coalition, beginning between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC. And ending between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. Depending on the interpretation, the classification conflicts with the generally assumed origins of the kingdoms of Baekje ( 백제 ), Silla ( 신라 ) and the Gaya Confederation ( 가야 ).

What is certain is that with the strengthening of Baekje, Silla and Gaya, the "confederations" of Mahan, Jihan and Byeonhan finally perished, roughly speaking

  • Baekje took roughly the area of ​​Mahan,
  • Silla covered Jihan in his early stages,
  • and Gaya was about the same as Byeonhan.

The Korean representation of the Samguk Sagi ( 삼국 사기 ), which was written in the 12th century and dates from the 1st century BC. BC to the 10th century AD, assumes that the Samhan period was only from the 1st century BC. Lasted until the 1st century AD, and the kingdoms of Baekje and Silla occupied the peninsula as early as the 1st century BC. Chr. Dominated , thus replaced the confederations. A view that coincides with the general assumption regarding the origin of Baekje in 18 BC. BC and Silla 57 BC And the chronological classification of the Samhan period between 75 BC. Chr. To 100 AD, can still be found in Korea today.

However, according to the Chinese script of Han Shu , completed at the end of the 1st century AD, and the Sanguo Zhi created by Chen Shou , written towards the end of the 3rd century AD, the Samhan area continued into the Middle of the 3rd century, with no mention of Baekje, Silla and the Gaya Confederation as kingdoms . In the “Han Shu” script, Baekje is referred to as one of 78 contiguous communities of Samhan, ie as a sub-area. And Mahan , as the largest national league, provided King Chin, who ruled over all three individual confederations and had his seat in Mokchi ( 목치 ), one of Mahan's sub-countries. In Scripture "Sanguo Zhi" is also described that the end of the reign of Emperor Emperor Ling of Han (r. 168-189), the Triple Alliance Confederation was strengthened and the influence of Chinese lelang commandery resisted . This can also be seen as evidence that at least Mahan and Jinhan , who were exposed to the influence of the Lelang headquarters, still existed at the end of the 2nd century AD. Chen Shou's work was commented on by the historian Pei Songzhi in AD 429, but its content was not changed (i.e. subsequently supplemented or errors corrected).

Similarities of the three confederations

In all three “confederations”, the tribes have organized themselves into small countries, called guo in Chinese , and the countries have united to form the respective confederations. There they lived in settlements of different sizes, with the Jinhan and Byeonhan tribes having similar habits and customs. Except for Byeonhan, the same language was spoken in Mahan and Jinhan. It is believed that the language was similar to today's Korean language. Another theory is that Ancient Japanese was spoken in southern Korea before today's Koreans immigrated and assimilated the proto-Japanese population.

Mahan

Mahan comprised the area of ​​the western part of what is now South Korea, south of the Han River. The confederation consisted of 54 small countries, which varied in size up to 10,000 households and Mahan is said to have had a total of 100,000 households. The inhabitants were considered natives, differently referred to as Han, Ye, or Maek (also referred to as Han-Ye-Maek in other sources) between 2000 BC. BC and the 1st century BC Came from the west via China to the Korean Peninsula.

Baekje was initially one of the countries in northern Mahan. It broke away from the confederation, became independent and expanded, among other things, at the expense of the Mahan countries, until Baekje finally took over the remaining territory of Mahan in 369 AD and thus destroyed the confederation.

Jinhan

Jihan was located east of Mahan and reached in the north from the Han River, bounded in the west and south by the Nakdong River, in the east as far as the sea coast. Jihan had 12 countries with household sizes ranging from 600 to 5,000.

Byeonhan

Byeonhan lay in a wedge shape between Mahan Jinhan and was bordered by the sea in the south. the number of allied countries was also 12 and the household sizes were comparable to those of Jinhan.

literature

  • Ki-baik Lee : A New History of Korea . Harvard University Press , Seoul 1984, ISBN 0-674-61576-X , Chapter 3. Aristocratic Societies Under Monarchical Rule - 1. The Development of the Three Kingdoms .
  • Remco E. Breuker : Establishing a Pluralist Society in Medieval Korea, 918-1170 . History, Ideology and Identity in the Koryŏ Dynasty . Koninklijke Brill , Leiden 2010, ISBN 978-90-04-18325-4 (English).
  • Eugene Chen Eoyang, Yaofu Lin : Translating Chinese Literature . Indiana University Press , Bloomington 1995, ISBN 0-253-31958-7 (English).
  • Hyung Il Pai : Construction "Korean" Origins . A Critical Review of Archeology, Historiography, and Radical Myth in Korean State-Formation Theories . Harvard University Asia Center , Cambridge, Massachusetts 2000, ISBN 0-674-00244-X (English).
  • Hyun-hee Lee, Sung-soo Park, Nae-hyun Yoon : New History of Korea . Ed .: The Academy of Korean Studies (=  Korean Studies Series . No. 30 ). Jimoondang , Paju-si 2005, ISBN 89-88095-85-5 , Chapter 6. Expansion of Early Baekje .
  • Djun Kil Kim : The History of Korea . Greenwood Press , Westport, Connecticut 2005, ISBN 0-313-33296-7 , 2 - Early History .
  • Michael J. Seth : A Concise History Korea . From the Neolithic Period through the Nineteenth Century . Rowman & Littlefield Publishers , Oxford 2006, ISBN 0-7425-4005-7 (English).
  • Mark E. Byington : Early Korea . The Samhan Period in Korean History . Volume Two . Korea Institute, Harvard University , Cambridge, Massachusetts 2009, ISBN 978-0-9795800-3-1 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Seth : A Concise History Korea . 2006, p.  21st f .
  2. ^ A b c Lee : A New History of Korea . 1984, p.  25 .
  3. ^ Byington : Early Korea . 2009, p.  126 .
  4. ↑ Kim : The History of Korea . 2005, p.  17 .
  5. ↑ a b c Byington : Early Korea . 2009, p.  125 .
  6. ^ A b Breuker : Establishing a Pluralist Society in Medieval Korea, 918-1170 . 2010, p.  30 .
  7. ↑ a b c Byington : Early Korea . 2009, p.  8th f .
  8. ^ History of Irrigation in Korea . Korean National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage , Ansan 2001, ISBN 89-952443-1-3 , pp.  17 (English).
  9. ^ Byington : Early Korea . 2009, p.  148 .
  10. ^ Byington : Early Korea . 2009, p.  149 .
  11. ^ Byington : Early Korea . 2009, p.  151 .
  12. ↑ Eoyang, Lin : Translating Chinese Literature . 1995, p.  116 .
  13. ^ A b c d Seth : A Concise History Korea . 2006, p.  22 .
  14. ^ Vovin, Alexander. 2013. 'From Koguryǒ to T'amna: Slowly Riding South with the Speakers of Proto-Korean.' Korean Linguistics, 15.2: 222-40.
  15. ^ Pai : Construction "Korean" Origins . 2000, p.  108 ff .
  16. ↑ Kim : The History of Korea . 2005, p.  16 f .
  17. ^ Lee, Park, Yoon : New History of Korea . 2005, p.  137 .
  18. ↑ a b Lee, Park, Yoon : New History of Korea . 2005, p.  136 .