The history of the Korean nation began 700,000 years ago when humans began settling in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. Representative historical sites associated with the Paleolithic Age, when people made tools from animal horns and chipped stone tools, include Komun Moru ruins in Sangwon, Pyeongannam-do, Jeongok-ri Site in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, Seokjang-ri Prehistoric Site. site in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, and Durubong Cave Site in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do. The peninsula’s first inhabitants survived by hunting animals and gathering edible plants in groups.

Hand Axe
This multifunctional tool dates back to the Paleolithic period, where it was discovered in Jeongok-ri, Yeoncheongun, Gyeonggi-do.

The history of the Korean nation began 700,000 years ago when humans began settling in Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula. Representative historical sites associated with the Paleolithic Age, when people made tools from animal horns and chipped stone tools, include Komun Moru ruins in Sangwon, Pyeongannamdo, Jeongok-ri Site in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi-do, Seokjang-ri Prehistoric Site. Durubong Cave Site in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do and Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do.

Neolithic Age in Korea B.C. It started around 8,000. People began farming, growing grains such as millet, and using polished stone tools. They began to settle in places permanently and formed clan communities. One of the features that best represents the Neolithic Age is the comb-patterned pottery; examples of these have been found throughout the Korean Peninsula, including Amsa-dong, Seoul, Namgyeong, Pyongyang, and Suga-ri, Gimhae.

Scallop Patterned Pottery
This comb-patterned vessel with a pointed bottom was discovered in Amsa-dong, Seoul, a historical site representing the Neolithic Age.

The Bronze Age began in the 10th century BC in the Korean Peninsula and in the 15th century BC in Manchuria. Historical sites associated with the Bronze Age are located in China’s Liaoning and Jilin provinces and the Korean Peninsula. With the development of Bronze Age culture, a society emerged in which the clan chief had great influence. The most powerful clan leaders began to unite many clans into one, and these groups gradually turned into proto-states.

The tribes that played a central role in the establishment of Gojoseon, which emerged as the first recognized state of the Korean people, believed in the King of Heaven and worshiped bears, respectively. The two groups jointly endorsed Dangun Wanggeom as the high priest and political leader. Gojoseon fostered an independent culture in Liaoning, China, and along the Daedonggang River. In the 3rd century BC, kings such as King Bu and King Jun became powerful and inherited the throne to their sons. They established a solid system of government supported by high-ranking servants and officers.

Towards the end of the 3rd century, the Qin dynasty was replaced by the Han dynasty in China, creating a period of social upheaval. Many people moved south to Gojoseon. Their leader, Wiman, ascended to the throne in 194 BC, and Gojoseon expanded its territory under his rule. By this time, Gojoseon had adopted Iron Age culture, developed agriculture and various handicrafts, and increased its military power. Taking advantage of its geographical proximity to China, it attempted to monopolize profits while acting as an intermediary in trade between the Korean Peninsula and China. This led to conflict between Gojoseon and the Han dynasty. The Khan attacked Gojoseon with a large number of land and naval forces. Gojoseon defiantly resisted the attack and won a major victory in the first phase of the war, but its capital at Wanggeomseong Castle fell after a year of fighting and Gojoseon collapsed in 108 BC.

Table-type dolmen in Bugeun-ri, Ganghwa

Dolmen

The Seven Wonders of the World include sites such as the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Great Wall of China, and Stonehenge. But Korea’s dolmens are no less mysterious. Approximately half of the world’s dolmens, approximately 40,000, have been found on the Korean Peninsula.

Various artifacts, including human bones, stone objects, jade and bronze artifacts, have been unearthed from the dolmens. Its construction methods are difficult to predict and its existence still remains a mystery.

Dolmens are classified as table type and go-board dolmens according to their shapes. The first, found mostly in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, was made by placing four stones to form the walls of a box and then covering it with a stone placed on supports. The latter is characterized by the catacombs with stones supporting the capstone. They are usually seen in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.

Dolmens are often called tombs, but it is difficult to conclude that they are so. In the 12th century, Goryeo’s great scholar Yi Gyu-bo made the following statement about dolmens: “People say that saints put dolmens there in the old days. “This is a really cool technique (that allows people to position such large rocks in this way).”

In the early 20th century, American missionary Horace Grant Underwood claimed that dolmens were not tombs, but rather were placed there for ritual sacrifices offered to earth gods. Korean folklorist Son Jin-tae claimed that this was an altar that alluded to a folktale (Mago halmeoni in local legends) in which dolmens were believed to be the homes of witches.

Dolmens are rarely found in China outside of Manchuria or Japan, but thousands can be seen on the Korean Peninsula. They were built over thousands of years, but this process was stopped in BC.

With this known, scientists around the world began to draw attention to the importance of Korean dolmens for the entire cultural history of humanity. Dolmens in Ganghwa (Incheon), Hwasun (Jeollanam-do) and Gochang (Jeollabuk-do) were listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2000. In addition, many experts are investigating the correlation between dolmens in Korea and dolmens in Europe. India, apart from the reasons why dolmens are concentrated on the Korean Peninsula.

Dolmen Park in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do