The use of animals in daily life and funeral practices of Koguryo

Based on the available information on the remains of animals from settlements and burial grounds of the early medieval state of Goguryeo, the article reveals the role of wild and domestic animals in the everyday life and rituals of the Goguryeo population. Focusing on the data from Horogoru fortified settlement in South Korea, the author reveals and describes the main types of domestic animals which included pigs, cows, horses, and dogs. The data from Goguryeo burial grounds of Korea and China made it possible to show the diverse ways in which domestic and wild animals were used in the burial rite. The comparison of osteological data with that of the Bohai sites allowed to reveal common features in the composition of the domestic herd and the use of horses in funeral rites. The results obtained confirmed and supplemented scraps of information from written and visual sources on animals in Goguryeo.