Draft Prehistory

Title	Prehistory (500,000 - 300 BCE)
Author	Lyndsey Twining
Place	Korean peninsula
Concept	dolmen (northern style, southern style), semi-subterranean pit houses, above-ground wooden houses, ondol (underfloor heating system), raised design pottery, comb-pattern pottery, undecorated pottery, slender daggers, mandolin-shaped daggers
Object	UNESCO World Heritage - Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites

1차 원고

Humans occupied the Korean peninsula from as early as 500,000 years ago. Paleolithic archaeological sites, with human bones and artifacts, give some clues as to the type of early stone tools and their development over time, while sites from the neolithic period (dating from 6,000 BCE) contain pottery, chipped and ground stone tools, and consist of semi-subterranean houses grouped into small villages. Sites on the east coast contained pottery with raised designs, while slightly later sites on the west coast contained comb-pattern pottery. These pottery styles spread prolifically across the peninsula from approximately 8,000-1,500 BCE. This period was a time of hunting, fishing, and small-scale plant cultivation.

The emergence of undecorated pottery is considered a marker for the next developmental period, which lasted from approximately 1,500 - 300 BCE. It was during this period that agriculture, rice cultivation in particular, developed. Settlements moved from riverbanks to hillsides to make better use of the flat land by the rivers for farming. Burial practices during this period became more advanced, with megalithic dolmens marking burial sites. Korean dolmens make up over 70 percent of the world's dolmens and some have been registered as UNESCO World Heritages. Use of bronze began during this period, appearing in the form of slender daggers found only on the Korean peninsula and mandolin-shaped daggers which made their way from northwest China all the way to southwest Korea, indicative of widespread trade. However, bronze items were uncommon and reserved for the elite, usually utilized for weapons and ornaments.

Iron is believed to have begun being produced in the 3rd century BCE. It was widely used for agriculture, weapons, and armor and may have contributed to wood-working tools which gave rise to above-ground wooden houses. Primitive forms of ondol, the native Korean underfloor heating system, were used in advanced pit-houses during this period.

검토의견 및 수정본

1. 한반도에서 많이 출토되고 연구된 구석기 문화애ㅔ 대한 언급이 없는 것은 결점임.
   1. 작가 의견 - 기사의 길이 때문에 구석기 문화에 대해 세부적인 내용을 생략했음.
2. “거석의 고인돌이 매장지의 표시로 설치되었다.” 고인돌은 매장지 표시가 아니라 실제의 무덤이었음. 부장품들이 출토 되고 있음. 선돌과 착각(?).“매장지의 표시” → “부족장들의 매장지로”
   1. 작가 의견 - 검토자가 영문을 한국어로 직역해서 영문 뉴양스를 오해한 것 같다. 그래도 다른 사람들이 오해할까 봐 더 정확한 표현으로 수정했음.

Humans occupied the Korean peninsula from as early as 500,000 years ago. Paleolithic archaeological sites, with human bones and artifacts, give some clues as to the type of early stone tools and their development over time, while sites from the neolithic period (dating from 6,000 BCE) contain pottery, chipped and ground stone tools, and consist of semi-subterranean houses grouped into small villages. Sites on the east coast contained pottery with raised designs, while slightly later sites on the west coast contained comb-pattern pottery. These pottery styles spread prolifically across the peninsula from approximately 8,000-1,500 BCE. This period was a time of hunting, fishing, and small-scale plant cultivation.

The emergence of undecorated pottery is considered a marker for the next developmental period, which lasted from approximately 1,500 - 300 BCE. It was during this period that agriculture, rice cultivation in particular, developed. Settlements moved from riverbanks to hillsides to make better use of the flat land by the rivers for farming. Burial practices during this period became more advanced, with megalithic dolmens used as tombs for tribal chiefs. Korean dolmens make up over 70 percent of the world's dolmens and some have been registered as UNESCO World Heritages. Use of bronze began during this period, appearing in the form of slender daggers found only on the Korean peninsula and mandolin-shaped daggers which made their way from northwest China all the way to southwest Korea, indicative of widespread trade. However, bronze items were uncommon and reserved for the elite, usually utilized for weapons and ornaments.

Iron is believed to have begun being produced in the 3rd century BCE. It was widely used for agriculture, weapons, and armor and may have contributed to wood-working tools which gave rise to above-ground wooden houses. Primitive forms of ondol, the native Korean underfloor heating system, were used in advanced pit-houses during this period.

Glossary

• Concepts
  • dolmen
    • northern style
    • southern style
  • semi-subterranean pit houses
  • above-ground wooden houses
  • ondol (underfloor heating system)
  • raised design pottery
  • comb-pattern pottery
  • undecorated pottery
  • slender daggers
  • mandolin-shaped daggers

• Places
  • Korean peninsula

• Objects
  • UNESCO World Heritage - Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites

Further Reading

• Heritage & Relics of Korea, Part 1, Korea.net

Items for Review

• dates for each time period
  • humans living on the peninsula
  • paleolithic
  • neolithic
  • raised design pottery
  • comb-pattern pottery
  • undecorated pottery
  • use of bronze
  • use of iron

Media Content to Be Produced

• locations of pottery sites
• movement of pottery style over time
• emergence of ondol heating
• location of dolmens by type