-108 BC- Gojoseon falls to the Han dynasty, and the region is divided up into commanderies. Overall, Manchuria is still overrun with barbarian Yemaek tribes, though.
-According to legend (the Samguk Sagi, written in the 12th century), Gogoryeo was founded in 37 BC.
-The first great king was King Taejo, allegedly reigning for over 90 years, from 53 - 146 AD!
-Dominated the tribal state of Okjeo to the south by making them a tribute state.
-Also fought against the Chinese commanderies, and future kings were able to actually re-conquer some territory in the Liaodong Peninsula.
-Divided into 5 provinces, ruled by tribal leaders as aristocrats and united under the king.
-Law codes remained relatively simple- serious crimes included murder, assault, thievery, adultery, and jealous (!)- only adultery and jealousy applied to women (!).
-Polygamy was widespread- top officials had multiple wives and concubines.
- The people were shamanistic and worshiped the sun.
-Had religious ceremonies, traditional music and dancing, and even sports competitions, including wrestling, hunting, archery, and horseback riding- music included more than 36 instruments from China and Central Asia.
-Badass horse archers as well- masters of the "Parthian shot".
- Pyongyang (Gogoryeo's third capital, before that it had been Jolbon and then Gungnae) was the center of culture, most imported from China in terms of style and fashion.
-People wore different color hoods and hats depending on their social status.
-Govt. ministers wore blue hats, the king wore a white hat.
-Married women wore their hair up with a pin that had a color designated by their social class, unmarried chicks had ponytails.
-Everyone wore pointy up-turned shoes, but in combat the men wore spikes on the toe!
-Bulgogi became a popular dish during this time.
-People were buried with supplies to help them in the afterlife.
-Gogoryeo was a cool mix of Yemaek horse archers mixed with Chinese culture.
-Meanwhile, Jin in the south had finally obtained its iron technology from Chinese immigrants who had migrated from China during the previous wars and had spread into Manchuria and the Korean peninsula.
-Some sources even say the pre-Wiman Gojoseon royal dynasty had fled to Jin when Wiman usurped the throne.
-However, Jin collapsed c. 108 BC, so during the time of Gogoryeo it was no longer the Jin kingdom, but actually a loose confederation of 3 city-states known as the Samhan ("three Hans").
-Byeonhan- short-lived kingdom in southern part of the peninsula, soon to be gobbled up by the Gaya Confederacy (and, later, Silla). Byeonhan was a great strategic area because it was in a nice region to grow rice and has rich iron deposits. Also had the port city of Busan! Great place for trade, especially with the Japanese.
-Because of all the iron, Byeonhan enjoyed iron tools to make them prolific farmers and fishermen.
-For some unknown reason, the towns nearby decided to rebel against Byeonhan's dominance in the area, and this resulted in the formation of the Gaya Confederacy.
-Some sources say that the Gaya Confederacy was centered around a Japanese military and trading post. Japanese sources say there was a Yamato outpost called Kara in the SE of the peninsula from 300-700 AD.
-Other Korean sources back up this Japanese presence around the 4th century due to a Gogoryeo king sending a bunch of of troops to the south to defend the peninsula against the Japanese.
-Gaya archaeology provides further evidence that there was strong trade between the Korean peninsula and the rest of the ancient world during this time, due to certain art and fashion designs similar to those found in places such as Persia and the Scythians of Central Asia.
-Jinhan - later absorbed by Silla. Occupied the east side of South Korea. Claimed to be the true, legit heirs to the old Jin state. They were screwed because their territory was almost completely mountainous, so they couldn't grow much rice. They also lacked an abundance of iron deposits. The capital was Gyeongju, a city that would eventually become the capital of Silla. By the 5th century, Gyeongju had developed into a strong commercial hub for Jinhan. The city would eventually change its name to Silla, hence where we get the name of the ancient Korean kingdom.
-Mahan - largest of the Han states, located in the Seoul/Gyeonggi-do area. According to the Samguk Sagi, it was founded by refugees fleeing the collapse of Gojoseon. Friendly with the Chinese commanderies. Capital moved around a bit, too. Soon to be Baekje.
-Gaya archaeology provides further evidence that there was strong trade between the Korean peninsula and the rest of the ancient world during this time due to certain art and fashion designs similar to those found in cultures such as the ancient Persians or Scythians of Central Asia.
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