New data on the monetary-weight system in Baekje

The purpose of this article is to explain the monetary-weight system in Baekje, which shows trade relations in the early Middle Ages in Korea. The research is based on the new materials obtained during the study of the Buddhist reliquary in the Mireuksa temple complex. It is situated in the Iksan city, South-West part of the Korean Peninsula and is dated 7 AD, the late period of Baekje. There are about 20 gold and silver plates (bars) which were put into the reliquary. Being identical in their shape and size, they are similar to the iron products used in Kaya (located between Baekje and Silla in South-East part of the Korean Peninsula) as a monetary equivalent in trade throughout the eastern region. Therefore, we assume that the plates were also used as items of the monetary system. Some gold plates have hieroglyphic inscriptions written by donors to the reliquary. We analyzed the information from the inscriptions and the weight of the items. As a result, a single weight criterion for Baekje (tael) is defined, which is equal to 13.2 g and is almost similar to the Chinese standard of the same period. The mass of precious metal ingots (gold and silver) found in the reliquary is equal to the weight of the forming part of the tael. Our study of a silver bracelet from the burial of King Mouryoung (the first half of the 6th century) reveals another unit of weight in Baekje (zhu), which is equal to 0.722 g. It can be correlated with the Chinese unit qian. Results. These data expand the information of written sources («Samguk sagi») devoted to metrology and the use of precious metals for money in different states of this period in Korea (Goguryeo and Silla). The information from the annals available is of little help, which allows us to come to a conclusion about the undeveloped monetary system in the early Middle Ages in Korea and a high role of goods (e.g., grain, fabric) in replacing precious metals. The monetary system, especially that of traditional societies, is closely related with the weight system. This was evident in barter, when ingots of silver and pieces of silk had been used as a currency in China, Korea and Japan for centuries. In general, the complexity of the monetary-weight system reflects the level of development of internal and external trade and economic relations. The plates and precious ingots discovered may indicate the presence of a kind of money equivalent in Baekje. Conclusion. The new archaeological materials make it possible to show how the attempts to form money circulation in Korea originated and why it was so hard for coins to be introduced into the life of Korean society. In addition, the inscriptions on the gold plates found in the Buddhist reliquary from Mireuksa temple complex provide a new look at the social aspects of the state of Baekje. The character of the gold plates, the high social status of the donors, represented by officials of grades 2 and 4 from various parts of the capital and other information from the inscriptions on the gold plates (bars) confirm the data on the administrative-bureaucratic system in Baekje. It extends our knowledge about the significant influence of Buddhism in the early medieval society of Korea.