Mahan () was a tribal grouping in southwestern Korea described in Chinese sources from the 3rd century. It was the largest of the 'three Hans' (the

Samhan Samhan, or Three Han (), is the collective name of the Byeonhan, Jinhan, and Mahan confederacies that emerged in the first century BC during the Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea, or Samhan, period. Located in the central and southern regions o ...

), along with Byeonhan and Jinhan. During the 4th century, the kingdom of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

rose in the territory of Mahan and became one of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

Etymology

"Mahan (馬韓)" is believed to be a combination of

Old Korean Old Korean is the first historically documented stage of the Korean language, typified by the language of the Unified Silla period (668–935). The boundaries of Old Korean periodization remain in dispute. Some linguists classify the sparsely at ...

words. "Ma (마)" in native Korean meant "South" while "Han (한)" meant "big", giving the meaning of Mahan, the "Big Nation of the South". As part of the Samhan, Jinhan meant "Big Nation of the East" and Byeonhan meant "Big Nation of Shimmer".

History

Mahan probably developed from the existing bronze society of third to second centuries BC, continuing to absorb migration from the north in subsequent centuries. King Jun of the kingdom of

Gija Joseon Gija Joseon (1120–194 BC) was a dynasty of Gojoseon allegedly founded by the sage Jizi (Gija), a member of the Shang (Yin) dynasty royal house. Understanding before 20th century Chinese records Chinese records before the Qin dynasty descr ...

in northern Korea, having lost the throne to Wiman, fled to the state of Jin in southern Korea around 194–180 BC. He and his followers are thought to have established a base within Jin territory. It is not certain whether Mahan conquered or arose out of this entity, but Mahan was certainly influenced by this influx of northern culture. Further migration followed the fall of Wiman Joseon and establishment of the Chinese commanderies in the

Korean peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

region in 108 BC. It is described in the Chinese chronicle ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' is a Chinese official history written by Chen Shou in the late 3rd century CE, covering the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE) and the subsequent Three Kingdoms period (220–280 CE). It is regard ...

'' and the much later Korean chronicles '' Samguk Yusa'' and '' Samguk Sagi''. In the 1st century AD, the Wolji/Mokji (月支/目支) state, that formed and led Mahan confederacy, was defeated in struggles with

, another member of Mahan, and consequently losing whole region of present-day Han River basin. But the San Guo Zhi recorded the Han state fallen in struggles with the

Lelang commandery The Lelang Commandery was a Commandery (China), commandery of the Han dynasty established after it had conquered Wiman Joseon in 108 BC and lasted until Goguryeo conquered it in 313. The Lelang Commandery extended the rule of the Four Commande ...

and Daifang commandery in the 246. Under continuous pressure from Baekje, only 20 statelets of Mahan confederacy survived until the late 3rd century. Baekje eventually absorbed or conquered all of Mahan by the 5th century, growing into one of the

, along with

Silla Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...

and

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

Politics

Kings of Mahan occasionally called themselves "King of Jin," referring to the earlier Jin state and asserting nominal sovereignty over all of Samhan. A wealth of bronze artifacts and production facilities indicate that Mahan was probably the earliest developed of the three Hans. At its height, Mahan covered much of the Han River Basin and the modern-day provinces of

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

Chungcheong Chungcheong Province (; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Chungcheong was located in the southwest of Korea. The provincial capital was located at Gongju, which had been the capital of the kingdom of Baekje ...

, and

Jeolla Jeolla Province (, ) was one of the historical Eight Provinces of Korea during the Kingdom of Joseon in southwestern Korea. It consisted of the modern South Korean provinces of North Jeolla, South Jeolla and Gwangju Metropolitan City as wel ...

, although political unity was strongest led by Mokji state (목지국, 目支國) in Cheonan,

Culture

Legacy

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

historians identified Mahan with

, which was supported by their works like '' Samguk Sagi'', '' Samguk Yusa'' and '' Jewang Ungi''. That historical view was previously given by Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn, a noted Confucian scholar and historian in the late

period. Apart from the geographical location of Mahan, the Chinese historical record ''History of Song'' defines the ethnical origin of the Jeong-an kingdom, a successor state of

Balhae Balhae,, , ) also rendered as Bohai or Bohea, and called Jin (; ) early on, was a multiethnic kingdom established in 698 by Dae Joyeong (Da Zuorong). It was originally known as the Kingdom of Jin (震, Zhen) until 713 when its name was changed ...

, as Mahan. In the late Joseon period, that historical notion came under criticism by early

Silhak ''Silhak'' () was a Korean Confucian social reform movement in the late Joseon Dynasty. ''Sil'' means "actual" or "practical", and ''hak'' means "studies" or "learning". It developed in response to the increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-C ...

scholar Han Baek-gyeom, who emphasized the linkage between Mahan and Baekje in terms of the geographical location.

Monarchs of Mahan confederacy

Mahan was an ancient Korean confederacy established after the fall of Jin. The following list is based on the records of the Cheongju Han clan.

Statelets

According to the ''San Guo Zhi'', Mahan consisted of 54 statelets of up to ten thousand families each: * Gamhae (감해국, 感奚國), present-day

Iksan Iksan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city and major railway junction in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city center and railway junction was formerly called "Iri" (), but merged with Iksan County (''Iksan-gun'') in 19 ...

. * Gamhaebiri (감해비리국, 監奚卑離國), present-day Hongseong. * Geonma (건마국, 乾馬國), present-day

. * Gorap (고랍국, 古臘國), present-day

Namwon Namwon (, ) is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. Namwon is about 50 minutes from the provincial capital of Jeonju, which is almost three hours away from Seoul. The official city flower is Royal Azalea () while the city tree is the ...

. * Gori (고리국, 古離國), present-day

. * Gobiri (고비리국, 古卑離國), present-day

Yangpyeong Yangpyeong County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Climate Yangpyeong has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification, Köppen: ''Dwa'') with cold, dry w ...

Yeoju Yeoju (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yeoju was a county but was raised to the status of a city in September 2013. Together with the neighboring city of Icheon, it is known as a major ce ...

. * Gowon (고원국, 古爰國) * Gotanja (고탄자국, 古誕者國) * Gopo (고포국, 古蒲國), present-day Buyeo County. * Guro (구로국, 狗盧國), present-day Cheongyang. * Gusaodan (구사오단국, 臼斯烏旦國), present-day Jangseong. * Guso (구소국, 狗素國), present-day Jeongeup. * Guhae (구해국, 狗奚國), present-day Gangjin. * Naebiri (내비리국, 內卑離國) * Noram (노람국, 怒藍國) * Daeseoksak (대석삭국, 大石索國), present-day Yangju or

Ganghwa Island Ganghwa Island (), also Ganghwado, is an island in Ganghwa County, Incheon, South Korea. It is in the Yellow Sea and in an estuary of the Han River. The island is separated from Gimpo (on the South Korean mainland) by a narrow channel spanned ...

. * Mangno (막로국, 莫盧國) * Mallo (만로국, 萬盧國), present-day Boryeong or Gunsan. * Morobiri (모로비리국, 牟盧卑離國), present-day Gochang. * Mosu (모수국, 牟水國), present-day

Suwon Suwon (; ) is the largest city and capital of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea's most populous province. The city lies approximately south of the national capital, Seoul. With a population of 1.2 million, Suwon has more inhabitants than Ulsan, tho ...

. * Mokji (목지국, 目支國), present-day Cheonan. *

(백제국, 百濟國), present-day

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

. * Byeokbiri (벽비리국, 辟卑離國), present-day Gimje. * Bulmi (불미국, 不彌國), present-day Naju. * Bulsabunsa (불사분사국, 不斯濆邪國), present-day

Jeonju Jeonju (, , ) is the capital and List of cities in South Korea, largest city of North Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many resi ...

. * Burun (불운국, 不雲國), present-day

Gongju Gongju (; ) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun the previ ...

or Boseong. * Biri (비리국, 卑離國), present-day Gunsan. * Bimi (비미국, 卑彌國), present-day Seocheon. * Saro (사로국, 駟盧國), present-day Hongseong.Not to be confused with Saro in Jinhan confederacy; it different with

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

. * Sangoe (상외국, 桑外國), present-day Hwaseong. * Soseoksak (소석삭국, 小石索國), present-day Gyodong Island. * Sowigeon (소위건국, 素謂乾國), present-day Boryeong. * Songnobulsa (속로불사국, 速盧不斯國), present-day

Gimpo Gimpo (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River (Korea), Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities o ...

. * Sinbunhwal (신분활국, 臣濆活國), present-day Anseong or Gapyeong. * Sinsodo (신소도국, 臣蘇塗國), present-day Taean. * Sinunsin (신운신국, 臣雲新國), present-day Cheonan. * Sinheun (신흔국, 臣釁國), present-day

Daejeon Daejeon (; ) is South Korea's list of cities in South Korea, fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of nearly 1.5 million. Located in a central lowland valley between the Sobaek Mountains and the Geum River, the city is known both as a ...

Asan Asan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 400,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs an ...

. * Arim (아림국, 兒林國), present-day Seocheon or Yesan. * Yeoraebiri (여래비리국, 如來卑離國), present-day

. * Yeomno (염로국, 冉路國), present-day

. * Uhyumotak (우휴모탁국, 優休牟涿國), present-day

Bucheon Bucheon (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Bucheon is located away from Seoul, of which it is a satellite city. It is located between Incheon and Seoul. Bucheon is the second most densely populated city in South Korea after Seo ...

. * Wonyang (원양국, 爰襄國), present-day Hwaseong or

Paju Paju (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Paju was made a city in 1997; it had previously been a county (''gun''). The city area of Paju is ,"Paju (Gyeonggi-do Province)." ''Naver Encyclopedi ...

. * Wonji (원지국, 爰池國), present-day

Yeosu Yeosu, formerly romanized as Yosu, is a coastal city located on the southern shore of South Korea. With a population of 268,823, Yeosu is the second largest city in South Jeolla Province. In 1998, the Old Yeosu City, Yeocheon City and Yeocheon C ...

. * Illan (일난국, 一難國) * Illi (일리국, 一離國) * Irhwa (일화국, 日華國) * Imsoban (임소반국, 臨素半國), present-day Gunsan. * Jarimoro (자리모로국, 咨離牟盧國), present-day Icheon. * Jiban (지반국, 支半國), present-day Buan. * Jichim (지침국, 支侵國), present-day Eumseong. * Cheomno (첩로국, 捷盧國), present-day Jeongeup. * Chori (초리국, 楚離國), present-day Goheung. * Chosandobiri (초산도비리국, 楚山塗卑離國), present-day Jindo County. * Chiriguk (치리국국, 致利鞠國), present-day Seocheon.

References

* * * * * * {{Authority control Ancient peoples of Korea Baekje Early Korean history Former countries in Korean history States and territories established in the 1st century BC States and territories disestablished in the 3rd century Former confederations Samhan Tribal confederacies