Ancient Korea
mythic Korea to Silla unification
Ancient Korea2,333 BCE – 935 CE
01
The Peninsula
mountains, monsoons, and why the peninsula stayed stubbornly independent
Geography + deep background
02
Dangun and Bronze
a founding myth, bronze daggers, and China's shadow
~2333–400 BCE
03
Iron and Empires
Wiman's coup, Han commanderies, and the rise of native kingdoms
~400 BCE–0 CE
04
Three Kingdoms
Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla compete for the peninsula
~0–562 CE
05
Goguryeo: The Warrior Kingdom
Gwanggaeto's conquests and the fortress kingdom's golden age
~391–668 CE
06
Baekje and the Buddha
maritime trade, Buddhism's arrival, and cultural export to Japan
~372–660 CE
07
The Great Unification War
Tang alliance, betrayal, and the wars that unified Korea
~642–676 CE
08
Unified Silla
a golden age of art and Buddhism, then slow decline to Goryeo
~676–935 CE