The current study on early iron age Fenlin culture group of the Sanjiang plain, China

This article analyzes the degree of current knowledge available about the epoch of the Fenlin culture, prominent in the Sanjiang Plains of China between 2nd - 5th centuries AD. It describes and analyzes key Fenlin cultural elements such as pottery, ironware, settlement, fortress site and others. In the case of pottery, the Guntulin culture group added new influences namely Poltse in the maritime province of Siberia, while Koguryo formed characteristic pottery of the Fenlin culture group. Pottery is divided into three groups: the Guntulin culture group’s influence, the newly added influence by Krounovka culture or Poltse in the maritime province of Siberia, and lastly, the characteristic pottery in the Fenlin culture group, where elements of Koguryo were observed. In the case of ironware, the excavated rate of weapons is low. And, when compared to the amount of agricultural tools with handicraft ones, the latter excavated rate is higher than the former. This discovery reflects an inherent iron-type of Fenlin culture, where iron handicraft tools were considered to be more prevalent and of higher importance than agricultural ones. Settlements divided into two types depending on the presence or absence of underfloor heating systems. Settlement with under floor heating systems was only excavated in the Fenlin fortress. Past research suggested that this system came from Krounovka or Poltse in the maritime province of Siberia. However in this text, it is explained as one of the effects of Koguryo influence, introduced in the 4th century AD. In the case of the fortress site: a distinguished site of Fenlin culture can also be found in Guntulin culture. The Fenlin culture added new defense facilities to its fortress such as an observatory, defense point, and a gate with a defense wall. These facilities are features of Koguryo’s fortress. Moreover, in the days of Fenlin culture, only Koguryo used these facilities in northeastern China. Koguryo and the Fenlin cultures co-existed in the same period, and therefore these facilities are supposed to have been a direct influence of Koguryo. Given the above analysis, the Fenlin culture group was formed on the basis of the Guntulin culture, and subsequently added new cultures to it. These new cultures were the Krounovka, the Poltse in the maritime province of Siberia, and the Koguryo cultures. There is also an opinion that the formation of Fenlin culture was affected by Krounovka culture. However, for example the ‘Aa’ type jars found in Fenlin culture pottery is similar to jars prominent to the Poltse culture in the maritime province of Siberia, while chronologically, Krounovka culture existed earlier than Fenlin culture. Because times overlap between the Poltse and Fenlin, there is a lower chance that the Fenlin culture was influenced by Krounovka rather than by Poltse culture. In the case of Koguryo, the assumption is that they may have influenced pottery, the fortress, settlement and so on, during later stages of Fenlin culture. Underfloor heating systems excavated in Fenlin culture may also have been a direct influence by Koguryo, and based on excavation data from fortress Wonu in China, the period may be 4th century AD. If this inference is true, influences of Koguryo in Fenlin culture also appeared at this time.