홍산문화로 읽는 고조선 시대의 제천의식 전통

Abstract

When the geographical location and historic period of the Hongsan culture is interpreted ecologically in the mutual relation and when its cultural relic and remains are interpreted in terms of ritual, Sinsigoguk (神市古國) harvest ritual culture tradition of Gojoseon is found. Hwanwoongcheonwang, the leader of Sinsigoguk was the son of the heaven having the harvest ritual right(天祭權) and worshipped the sun as the heavenly god according to the concept of humanitarianism. The harvest ritual relics include Stone Mound Tomb, Harvest Ritual Altar and Jade Bowl relics in Uharyang area among Hongsan cultural heritage in the 35th century BC. The top of Stone Mound Tomb consists of the altar. It is the tobm of the military leader having the harvest ritual right where his descendants had a harvest ritual at the altar. The round altar with triple concentric circles is the harvest ritual altar symbolizing the sun, where the community had a ritual. A huge circle shape ritual altar also has the shape of sun which is located at the peak of the hill of the southern part of Uharayng. That is the highest place to serve the heaven. It is the place where people could see the altar from any side and is a huge space for large convention for the people. Thus, the national assembly was made possible. Therefore, different from Stone Mound Tomb ritual altar which mainly had the function of tomb, the circle shape altar had satisfied a geographical condition for large size national assembly for the harvest ritual. The jade bowl relics of the Hongsan culture are various with diverse kinds of animal shapes. They have two symbolic meanings. One is that all human being was equal in the organic relation according to the concept of humanitarianism. Secondly, jade bowls was a ritual bowl that linked between the heaven and the earth as godly objects. Accordingly, various kinds of jade bowls were excavated from the stone mount tomb, the tomb of the military leader. Therefore, if the relics and remains of the Hongsan culture are interpreted from the ritual point of view, it demonstrates the harvest ritual culture of the godly city in Gojoseon.