남해 흥선목장의 공간구조와 기능에 대한 연구

Abstract

Geographically located at the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula, Namhae-gun was used not only as a strategically significant place but also as a hub location in marine transportation since ancient times. Archaeological excavations had been carried out on many sites in this region but the three ranches known to have been managed in Namhae-gun had yet to be investigated. However, the remains of Heungseon Ranch, which was one of these three ranches and was managed in the Goryo and the Joseon dynasties, were recently discovered at the historic site of Jindong-ri (Kyeong-Sang Cultural Heritage Research Center, 2013). The horse has been an indispensable animal in the development of human society, being an important means of military operations, transportation, agriculture, delivery, trade, and other activities since ancient times. Horse administration (馬政), in charge of horse rearing and management, was considered to be a key national project. This study investigates the structure and functions of Heungseon Ranch based on the results of the excavation, since these elements were an important part of Heungseon Ranch and of horse administration. Regarding the investigation of the ranch, a ranch can be regarded as a complex body composed of pasture, a horse management building (驅集所), and many related functional facilities, the archaeological traces of which can provide clues regarding the structure and style of the buildings. There are many components of a ranch. For example, the partition facility called a 'ranch wall’ (牧場城)' acts like a fence which divides the ranch. A ranch wall dividing the pasture and horse management building was found at Heungseon Ranch. It was needed because horses were grazed on pasture in the summer and fall, and kept in a horse management building in the winter. There was a stable (馬舍), where horses were reared and managed, a horse hay barn (積草場), a circular wooden fence (圓場), a narrow and wooden horse passage (蛇場), a drinking water reservoir (飮水池) for horses, the houses of horsehands (牧者), and land (位田) belonging to the horse administrative office. A 'S' shaped fence and a circular fence were also identified at the Heungseon Ranch. A 'S' shaped fence is believed to have been a facility used to check and inspect horses, whereas a circular fence was a facility needed to temporarily keep horses. Jangunsan Beacon, located within the grounds of the ranch, is considered to have been a communications facility that was in use at the same time as Heungseon Ranch, which conveyed information on the transportation of horses or acted as an alarm in the case of foreign attacks. This study reviewed the archaeological material excavated from Heungseon Ranch and estimated that the ranch was first established between the latter part of the 12th century and the 13th century. It is thought that Heungseon Ranch was continuously in operation during the Joseon Dynasty until its closure in the 32nd year of King Gojong's reign (1895), in the latter part of the Joseon Dynasty. This was a time that ranches were being disbanded throughout the country.