영산강유역 출토 마구의 성격과 의미

Abstract

Horse tacks unearthed from the Yeongsan River Basin began to receive attention after a set of horse ornaments was discovered from Josan Ancient Tomb of Wolsong-ri, Haenam, in 1982. The horse ornament set included an f-shaped bit plate and an oval and knife-edge-shaped strap pendant, which was rare at that time. Since then, several tacks were found attracting the attention of Korean and foreign researchers: hemispheric horse harness fittings for crossbelt decorated with lotus flower pattern, and horse bit from Sindeok Ancient Tomb of Yedeok-ri, Hampyeong, in 1991; Silla-style cross-patterned heart-shaped horse bit plate, and three-leaf patterned heart-shaped strap pendant from the Stone Chamber No. 96 of the Ancient Tomb No. 3 of Bogam-ri, Naju; and tacks including f-shaped bit plate, wooden stirrup, and iron stirrup, as well as the double ring-type bit plate uncommon in the Yeongsan River Basin, from the Stone Chamber No. 1 of Jeongchon Ancient Tomb in Naju. Current study collected all the tacks unearthed from the Yeongsan River Basin, and compared them with the materials of the same time unearthed from various parts of East Asia including the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Islands, and examined their typology, chronology, and genealogy, the characteristics of the buried persons, as well as the international relations and negotiations. Results confirm that the tacks from Yeongsan River Basin were for horseback riding with functions of control, stabilization, and decoration. This shows that the horseback riding culture was popular in the late 5th century to the 6th century in the Yeongsang River Basin. In terms of their structure and material, they are viewed as tacks having practical, militaristic, and display purpose like those from the tombs of the Silla Kingdom and the Gaya Kingdom of the same time. In addition, the buried person is presumed to have been a local leader or an influencer with strong martial or political power. In addition, this study noted foreign elements in the style of the majority of the tacks from the Yeongsan River Basin, and tracked the origin and genealogy. It is concluded that the local powers in the Yeongsan River Basin had multidimensional interactions and negotiations with powers of Baekje, Silla, Gaya, and Wa.