HISTORY

KOREA

OF

Prehistory and Gojoseon

ancient human fossils have been discovered originating from about 100,000 BC in Korea

Gojoseon's founding legend describes Dangun, a descendent of heaven, as establishing the kingdom in 2333 BC.

THREE KINGDOMS

Goguryeo

SillaBaekje

THREE KINGDOMSBaekje, Silla, Goguryeo

dominated the peninsula and parts ofManchuria during the early Common Era.

•Goguryeo was the most dominant power; it reached its zenith in the fifth century

•Baekje expanded far beyond Pyongyang during the peak of its powers in the 4th century (founded around modern day Seoul)

•Silla existed as a large state, occupying and influencing nearby city states by the 2nd century.

Queen Seon Deok of Silla

Queen Seon Deok of Silla

Silla's twenty-seventh ruler, and its first reigning queen

reigned starting from 632 and became the sole ruler until 647

She built the Cheomseongdae, or “Star Gazing Tower,” considered the first observatory in the Far East.

Bidam of Silla is said to have led a revolt with the slogan that "female rulers cannot rule the country”

Cheomseongdaecan be found in Gyeongju, South Korealiterally means "star gazing platform“The tower is built out of 362 pieces of cut granite which some claim represent the 362 days of the lunar year.It has 27 circular layers of stones and 12 large base stones set in a square

NORTH-SOUTH STATES PERIOD, UNIFIED SILLA, AND BALHAE

By 660s, Silla formed an alliance with the Tang Dynasty of China to conquer Baekje and Goguryeo, then later partially unified the Peninsula, and began a period called Unified Silla.

Balhae was founded on 698, in the north, as the successor to Goguryeo. It was destroyed by the Khitans in 926.

Unified Silla fell apart in the late 9th century.

Goryeo

was founded in 918 and replaced Silla as the ruling

dynasty of Korea. It lasted in 1392."Goryeo" is a short form of "Goguryeo" and the

source of the English name "Korea".The publication of Tripitaka Koreana and the

invention of the world's first movable-metal-type printing press attest to Goryeo's cultural achievements.

Their dynasty was threatened by Mongol invasions from the 1230s into the 1270s

Joseon Dynasty

In 1392, the general Yi Seong-gye

established the Joseon Dynasty.King Taejo moved the capital to

Hanseong (modern day Seoul) and

In 1394 he adopted Confucianism as the country's official

then built the Gyeongbokgung palace.

religion, while King Sejong the great promulgated hangul,

the Korean alphabet. In the 1620s and 1630s Joseon

suffered invasions by the Manchu.