한반도 초기철기시대 옹관묘 연구 -횡치옹관묘의 기원을 중심으로-

Abstract

Jar burials are graves that use pottery vessels such as jars or pots as coffins, and are widely distributed across East Asian regions including China, Korea, and Japan. On the Korean Peninsula, jar burials have been used since the Neolithic period, with this tradition continuing until modern times. Middle Bronze Age jar burials are associated with the Songguk-ri culture and are concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of the Geum River. During this period, single-jar vertically placed burials were predominant, while horizontally placed jar burials were found in small numbers outside the core areas of Songguk-ri culture. In the Early Iron Age, double-jar horizontally placed burials, created by combining two pottery vessels, emerged and became the mainstream. Jar burials from this period are distributed mainly in Gyeongsang-do and Jeolla-do provinces, and are also found in Pyeongan-namdo, Hwanghae-namdo, and Jeju Island. Comparative analysis of horizontally placed jar burials from the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age revealed fundamental differences in jar combination methods, pottery traditions, and distribution patterns, indicating no direct inheritance relationship. In contrast, Early Iron Age jar burials show remarkable similarities with jar burials from the Warring States-Qin-Han period in Northeast China in terms of pottery forms, combination methods, and burial practices. Based on this analysis, it is concluded that horizontally placed jar burials of the Korean Peninsula's Early Iron Age were established through cultural transmission from Northeast China, separate from the Bronze Age tradition. This is presumed to have occurred as populations in areas less influenced by Songguk-ri culture adopted foreign cultural elements.