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An Alternative View on the Clay-band Rim Pottery Communities of the Central Part of Korea
Journal of Humanities, Seoul National University
2019,
76(3), pp.327-368
DOI : 10.17326/jhsnu.76.3.201908.327
Publisher : Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
Research Area : Other Humanities
DOI : 10.17326/jhsnu.76.3.201908.327
Publisher : Institute of Humanities, Seoul National University
Research Area : Other Humanities
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The clay-band rim pottery communities of the central region of Korea have been understood thus far from the point of view of migration, of coexistence and conflict between migrants and indigenous peoples, and in terms of exchange and reorganization. In addition, the migration of foreign residents has been regarded as a cause of cultural change, bringing about the regional integration of the wider area and transformation into a fully class-divided society. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there are any problems with the logical structure of such a perception, and to consider whether it is a descriptive frame that is consistent with archaeological data, and to suggest alternative interpretations if required. The migration theory for the clay-band rim pottery group, which was developed by combining the methodology of making historical records as a prerequisite for annals and cultural interpretation with the epistemology of regarding a specific archaeological assemblage as a representing a population group, is an unconfirmed entity. Also, the dating of the clay-band rim pottery sites has been based on the theory of systematic awareness, coexistence, and conflict. However, no verification has taken place and occasionally errors of chronology have been identified in relation to the overlapping of dwellings and the relationship of artifacts. Therefore, relationship network theory is presented as the basis for an alternative interpretation. It is proposed that the indigenous group formed strategic networks for social integration and stratification in the process of transformation which involved the dissolution of large villages, their dispersion and the miniaturization, and the emergence of a mixed economy, which had taken place since the middle of the Bronze Age. In other words, it is argued that the indigenous group gradually accepted clay-band rim pottery and the Slender Bronze Dagger culture through a wide regional network that connected the Liaodong region, the northwestern areas of the Korean Peninsula, and the mid-western areas of the Korean Peninsula, and that the culture had spread through the regional network via nodes such as ritual sites.
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