조선시대 영남지역 분묘 부장품으로 본 장제(葬制)의 민속학적 고찰

Abstract

This thesis aims not only to examine the characteristics of the mortuary practices of the tombs of the Joseon Period but also to understand them further and better. The spatial range of this thesis is Youngnam Region and its temporal range is the Joseon Period. Six tomb cemetery sites of the Joseon Period in Youngnam Region have been selected. The kinds of offering objects and their quantity along with their buried spots (archaeological context) have been examined as a methodology. Particularly the symbolic meanings of scissors, bronze spoons and chopsticks have been reviewed from the perspectives of the historical folklore studies as well. The research has come to a conclusion that burying objects had been done from beginning stage to finishing stages during the whole mortuary procedures. They had varied from cemetery to cemetery over time although there have been common features and differences. In most cases burying objects had been done during only one stage of the mortuary practices in funeral. However exceptionally in the case of rich person’s funeral burying objects had been done several times during their funeral ceremony. Although there is a possibility that the inclusiveness of Confucianism might vary from country to country over time, the mortuary practices of the Joseon Period in Youngnam Region seem to include not only Confucian elements but also elements from Buddhism, shamanism, Taoism, traditional folk culture etc, all of which had been incorporated by Confucian frame work. That is, non-Confucian elements seems to have been blended in the mortuary practices of the Joseon Period in Youngnam Region. Since this thesis deals with only six cemetery sites, one should be prudent not to generalize the conclusion of this study. There might be regional variations in mortuary practices over time. Regional variations over time should be studied systematically further along with comparative studies as well, which will be future research challenges, while accumulation of excavation data increase rapidly.