An expansive and accessible introduction to the history of Korea during the first millennium CE.
Korea’s Three Kingdoms period is a genuine “lost civilization,” during which ancient realms vied for supremacy during the first millennium CE. Nobles from this period’s feuding states adopted and adapted Buddhism and Confucianism through interactions with early medieval Chinese dynasties. It was not until the mid-seventh century that the aristocratic Silla state, with the assistance of the mighty Chinese Tang empire, unified the Three Kingdoms of Korea by conquering the kingdoms of Koguryo and Paekche. Weaving together legends of ancient kings with the true histories of monks, scholars, and laypeople, this book sheds new light on a foundational period that continues to shape Korean identity today.
Korea’s Three Kingdoms period is a genuine “lost civilization,” during which ancient realms vied for supremacy during the first millennium CE. Nobles from this period’s feuding states adopted and adapted Buddhism and Confucianism through interactions with early medieval Chinese dynasties. It was not until the mid-seventh century that the aristocratic Silla state, with the assistance of the mighty Chinese Tang empire, unified the Three Kingdoms of Korea by conquering the kingdoms of Koguryo and Paekche. Weaving together legends of ancient kings with the true histories of monks, scholars, and laypeople, this book sheds new light on a foundational period that continues to shape Korean identity today.
256 pages | 60 color plates, 11 halftones | 5.43 x 8.5
History: Ancient and Classical History, Asian History
Reviews
Table of Contents
Chronology
Introduction
1 Legends and Origins of Korea’s Three Kingdoms
2 Koguryo and Paekche
3 Kaya and Early Silla
4 Religion and Culture in the Early Three Kingdoms
5 Greater Silla and Parhae
6 The Flourishing of Buddhism and Confucianism in Greater Silla
7 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the Later Three Kingdoms
Epilogue
REFERENCES
FURTHER READING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PHOTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INDEX
Introduction
1 Legends and Origins of Korea’s Three Kingdoms
2 Koguryo and Paekche
3 Kaya and Early Silla
4 Religion and Culture in the Early Three Kingdoms
5 Greater Silla and Parhae
6 The Flourishing of Buddhism and Confucianism in Greater Silla
7 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in the Later Three Kingdoms
Epilogue
REFERENCES
FURTHER READING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PHOTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INDEX