Samhan Confederacy
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The Samhan (삼한, "Three
Han") period of
Korean history (also Proto--Three
Kingdoms Period) comprises confederacies of Mahan,
Jinhan, and
Byeonhan in central and southern
Korean peninsula, during the final century
BCE and the early centuries CE. These confederacies were eventually absorbed into two of the
Three Kingdoms of Korea by the
4th century CE. The Samhan period is generally considered a subdivision of the
Three Kingdoms Period. Sam (三) means "three", and Han is a
Korean word meaning "great" or "leader" (cognate with "khan" used in inner
Asia for leaders). Han was transliterated into
Chinese characters 韓, 幹, or 刊, but is unrelated with the Han in
Han Chinese and the
Chinese kingdoms and dynasties also called Han (漢, 韓). Ma means south, Byeon means shining and Jin means east. The names of these confederacies are reflected in the current name of
South Korea,
Daehan Minguk (literally, "
Great Han
People's
Nation"). The Samhan are thought to have formed around the time of the fall of Gojoseon in northern
Korea in
108 BC, around when the state of Jin in southern Korea also disappears from written records. By the
4th century, Mahan was fully absorbed into the
Baekje kingdom, Jinhan into the
Silla kingdom, and Byeonhan into the
Gaya confederacy, which was later annexed by
Silla. The Samhan are generally considered loose confederations of walled-town states. 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. The name of the poorly understood Jin state continued to be used in the name of the
Jinhan confederacy and in the name "Byeonjin," an alternate term for Byeonhan. In addition, for some time the leader of Mahan continued to call himself the
King of Jin, asserting nominal overlordship over all of the Samhan confederations. Mahan was the largest and earliest developed of the three confederacies. It consisted of 54 minor statelets, one of which conquered or absorbed the others and became the center of the
Baekje Kingdom. Mahan is usually considered to have been located in the southwest of the Korean peninsula, covering
Jeolla,
Chungcheong, and portions of
Gyeonggi. Jinhan consisted of 12 statelets, one of which conquered or absorbed the others and became the center of the
Silla Kingdom. It is usually considered to have been located to the east of the
Nakdong River valley. Byeonhan consisted of 12 statelets, which later gave rise to the Gaya confederacy, subsequently annexed by Silla. It is usually considered to have been located in the south and west of the Nakdong River valley. The exact locations occupied by the different Samhan confederations are disputed. It is also quite likely that their boundaries changed over time.
Samguk Sagi indicates 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, the earlier Chinese
San guo zhi places 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. 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).
For more information, visit:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahan_confederacy
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinhan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byeonhan
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_Korea
- published: 16 Jul 2013
- views: 165