Elite burials of the “three han” culture (based on the materials of the jinhan and byeonhan sites in the southeastern part of the Korean peninsula)

Over the past 50 years, several new burial grounds of the “Three Han” culture, in particular, of the proto-Korean tribes Jinhan and Byeonhan, have been explored in the southeast of the Korean Peninsula. These tribes inhabited this territory during the 2nd century BC to the 3rd centuries. The purpose of the work is to reveal the specificity of the burial rite of the elite burials of the culture of these tribes known from historical records. As a result of a detailed analysis of materials from the Joyang-dong, Daho-ri, Tap-dong, and Yangji-ri burial grounds of the early period of the “Three Han” (the 1st century BC to the 1st century), it was possible to identify burials that can be classified as elite. Such burials differ from other burial objects at the burial ground in their location. They are located at higher elevations, far from the main group of ordinary burials. Elite burials of the “Three Han” culture were made in ground pits with a special pit for equipment in the floor, yaoken. The body of the deceased was placed in a wooden coffin - a log, less often - a box of planks, with its head to the east. A mound was built over the burial. Elite burials are also distinguished by the richness and variety of burial items. The prestigious items primarily include imported products of the Chinese origin. These are bronze mirrors with ornamentation and epigraphy, zoomorphic decorative plaques, wushu coins of the Han dynasty, lacquer ware. Comparison of the information from the Chinese historical chronicles “San-go zhi” with the archeological data made it possible to identify items of burial implements, which can also be classified as prestigious: iron products, beads, fans. Thus, archaeological materials help to significantly supplement the data from historical sources about the funeral rite of the proto-Korean tribes Jinhan and Byeonhan of the 1st century BC to the 1st century.