Mumun pottery period
A Korean prehistoric period, circa 1500–300 BCE, marked by undecorated pottery and the spread of settled farming and bronze use.
Mumun pottery: Plain, undecorated pottery made in prehistoric Korea, especially during the Mumun period. Its characteristic vessels give the period its name.
Agriculture in Korea: The cultivation of crops and raising of livestock in the Korean Peninsula. Mumun communities adopted farming within the broader history of Korean agriculture.
Songguk-ri: A Bronze Age archaeological site in Buyeo, South Korea, known for pithouses and distinctive material culture. Its settlement remains define a major regional Mumun archaeological pattern.
Korean Bronze Age: The prehistoric era in Korea marked by bronze objects, farming communities, and increasing social complexity. The Mumun period is a principal archaeological framework for Korea’s Bronze Age.
Rice cultivation in Korea: The cultivation of rice in the Korean Peninsula, established during prehistory and later central to agriculture. Rice farming expanded alongside permanent settlements during the period.
Pithouse: A dwelling partly excavated into the ground, with a roof supported above the sunken floor. Pithouses were common homes in Mumun settlements.
Daepyeong: A large prehistoric settlement and archaeological site in Jinju, South Korea, occupied during the Mumun period. Its houses, fields, and workshops reveal a substantial farming community.
Liaoning bronze dagger culture: A Bronze Age archaeological culture of northeast China, known for distinctive bronze daggers and related forms. Similar dagger traditions point to connections across the northern Korean frontier.
Dolmen: A prehistoric tomb built from large stone slabs, often with a chamber beneath a capstone. Dolmens were prominent burial monuments in Mumun communities.
Bronze metallurgy: The production of objects from copper-based alloys, especially copper and tin. Bronze casting supplied tools, weapons, and prestige goods during the period.