Songguk-ri () is a Middle and Late
Mumun-period (c. 850–300 B.C.) archaeological site in
Buyeo-gun
Buyeo County (''Buyeo-gun'') is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Buyeo-eup, the county's capital, was the site of the capital of Baekje from 538-660 AD, during which it was called Sabi Fortress.
Famous people associated wi ...
,
Chungcheongnam-do
South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. Songguk-ri is a settlement and burial site that is important in the study of Korean
prehistory
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
. It is registered as Historical Site No. 249. Songguk-ri is a main point of reference in Korean prehistory—Korean archaeologists have represented the prehistoric village and the material culture excavated from there as the
type-site for Middle Mumun Culture in southern Korea.
History of Excavations
Excavations began there in 1975 and Songguk-ri was one of the first archaeological sites in South Korea to yield
bronze artifacts, large tubular
greenstone beads, and
pit-house
A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larde ...
s with rounded plan-shapes. Rounded pit-houses similar with those of Songguk-ri were later found at other archaeological sites along with a suite of other co-occurring artifacts prompting archaeologists to use Songguk-ri as the type site for Middle Mumun culture and label features and
artifacts from there and other Middle Mumun sites as 'Songguk-ri Style'. In particular, the term ''Songguk-ri''-style pit-house is the typological name given to Middle Mumun Period dwellings in southern Korea. The site has been excavated a number of times by branches of the
National Museum of Korea
The National Museum of Korea is the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea and is the cultural organization that represents Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has been committed to various studies and research ...
(Buyeo National Museum 2000;
National Museum of Korea
The National Museum of Korea is the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea and is the cultural organization that represents Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has been committed to various studies and research ...
1979, 1986, 1987).
Layout
Groups of pit-houses are found in various spots in an area of almost 100,000 km². Forty-four pit-houses were excavated at Songguk-ri (O 1997). Pottery that is typically found in the Late Middle Mumun (c. 700–550 B.C.) was unearthed from the pit-houses, but some pit-houses may date to the Late Mumun. Evidence of an imposing
palisade erected around one of the residential precincts at the site has been found, leading archaeologists to hypothesize about conflict and competition in the local Mumun society. A number of smaller settlements from the same time period are found within several kilometres of Songguk-ri.
The site also contains a high status stone-cist burial with a Liaoning-style bronze
dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...
, a number of large tubular-shaped greenstone ornaments, and a finely-made
groundstone dagger. A number of jar-burials have been unearthed from the site.
Historical significance
Songguk-ri was likely part of the central settlement distributed amongst smaller settlements in the Seokseong-cheon River valley that briefly formed a simple
chiefdom
A chiefdom is a form of hierarchical political organization in non-industrial societies usually based on kinship, and in which formal leadership is monopolized by the legitimate senior members of select families or 'houses'. These elites form a ...
for approximately one or two generations in the Middle
Mumun. Songguk-ri is one of the well-known sites from Korean prehistory that displays some formative examples of characteristics of
Protohistoric
Protohistory is a period between prehistory and history during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures have already noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in their own writings. For example, in ...
chiefdoms such as
Mahan,
Byeonhan
Byeonhan (, ), also known as Byeonjin, (, ) was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the beginning of the Common Era to the 4th century in the southern Korean peninsula. Byeonhan was one of the Samhan (or "Three Hans"), alo ...
, and early states such as
Baekje
Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla.
Baekje was founded by Onjo of Baekje, Onjo, the third son of Gogurye ...
. For example, Songguk-ri contains evidence of several long-term trends in Korean
prehistory
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
and protohistory such as the existence of social status distinctions and the use of prestige artifacts such as
greenstone and metal (e.g. Liaoning-style bronze dagger) in burials. It is thus that Songguk-ri and other such prehistoric sites of a similar age (e.g.
Igeum-dong,
Daepyeong, etc.) are referred to when we begin the discussion regarding the origins of social complexity and the formation of states in the
Korean peninsula
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
.
See also
*
Prehistory of Korea
Prehistoric Korea is the era of human existence in the Korean Peninsula for which written records do not exist. It nonetheless constitutes the greatest segment of the Korean past and is the major object of study in the disciplines of archaeology, ...
*
Mumun Pottery Period
The Mumun pottery period is an archaeological era in Korean prehistory that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC. This period is named after the Korean name for undecorated or plain cooking and storage vessels that form a large part of the pottery ...
*
Daepyeong
*
Igeum-dong
*
Bangudae Petroglyphs
References
*Buyeo National Museum 2000 ''Songguk-ri VI''
ongguk-ri Site VI Report of the Research of Antiquities of the National Museum, Vol. 6. Buyeo National Museum, Buyeo.
*Gongju National Museum 1993 ''Songguk-ri V: Mokchaek (1)''
ongguk-ri Site V: Wooden Palisade (1) Gongju National Museum, Gongju.
*
National Museum of Korea
The National Museum of Korea is the flagship museum of Korean history and art in South Korea and is the cultural organization that represents Korea. Since its establishment in 1945, the museum has been committed to various studies and research ...
1979 ''Songguk-ri I''
ongguk-ri Site I Report of the Research of Antiquities of the National Museum of Korea, Vol. 11. National Museum of Korea, Seoul. 1986 ''Songguk-ri II''
ongguk-ri Site II Report of the Research of Antiquities of the National Museum of Korea, Vol. 18. National Museum of Korea, Seoul. 1987 ''Songguk-ri III''
ongguk-ri Site III Report of the Research of Antiquities of the National Museum of Korea, Vol. 19. National Museum of Korea, Seoul.
*O, Se-yeon 1997 Buyeo Songguk-ri Yujeok-eui Jugeo Yangsang:
spects of Settlement at the Songguk-ri Site, Buyeo In ''Honam Gogohak Jemunje''
roblems in the Archaeology of Honam159–175. Papers of the 21st National Meetings of the
Korean Archaeological Society, Gwangju.
Further reading
*
Korea University
Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities.
T ...
Archaeology and Environment Research Centre (eds).
:2005 ''Songguk-ri Munhwa-reul Tonghe Bon Nonggyeong Sahwoe-eui Munhwa Chegye''
gricultural and Social Systems through Songguk-ri Culture Seogyeong Munhwasa, Seoul.
External links
Monograph by Lee, Hyeon-seok. 1998. ''A Study of Songgung-ni-style Houses''3-D Songguk-ri-style potteryKorean description of Songguk-ri with photo
{{coord missing, South Korea
Archaeological sites in South Korea
Prehistoric Asia
Former populated places in South Korea
Archaeological type sites