Bronze Age
The Bronze Age began around 1,500 BCE, when we see a small amount of bronze appearing. Bronze was not readily available at this time therefore wood and stone were still the main raw materials used to make tools. Although early evidence suggests a continuation from the Neolithic in many areas, life during the Bronze Age became more sedentary, and farming became commonplace requiring people to work together which led to the growth of villages in areas that had good soil or were near water. Songguk-ri in Buyeo is one such village that has provided evidence following the excavation of both houses and tombs. There are clear traces of rice farming in the Bronze Age, as well as other crops, along with the development of tools that were more suited to people’s everyday tasks. The earliest Bronze Age culture in Korea is known as the Liaoning-type bronze dagger culture as it seems to have originated from the province of Liaoning in China, although the range of items discovered in Korea is more limited than those in the original location. In Korea, bronze daggers have been the most frequently excavated, but bronze arrowheads, hand knives, spears and chisels have also been recovered. Later Bronze Age culture is known as the Korean-type bronze dagger culture and has its own unique items and styles including ritual objects, mirrors, daggers, spearheads and halberds (a combination spear/ battle axe). Bronze Age pottery differed depending on the region and date, but was usually plain or had very simple patterns. There are also limited examples of a type of pottery named red burnished ware that is much smoother and has a shiny surface. Bronze items are frequently found in dolmens, a common form of burial in the Bronze Age. These megalithic structures can be seen at the UNESCO World Heritage listed sites of Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa, which are huge prehistoric cemeteries made up of hundreds of dolmens dating primarily to the Bronze Age.
References/Further Reading
Korea Heritage Service (2006) Dolmens in Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa. Key to Bronze Age Culture on the Korean Peninsula. Korea Heritage Service.
Yi, I (2007) The Incipient Bronze Culture of Korea. Journal of Korean Art & Archaeology. Volume 1. Pages 6-33.