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Gaya confederacy가야(加倻)
42 CE–562 CE
Capital	Gimhae
Common languages	Old Korean
Religion	Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Korean shamanism
Government	Monarchy, Union
Suro
• ? - 562	Doseolji
Historical era	Ancient
• Formation of Byeonhan confederacy	Formation of Unified Silla
• Establishment	42 42 CE
• Submission to Silla	562 562 CE
Preceded by Succeeded by Jinhan confederacy Silla

Gaya confederacy
Duck-shaped pottery from Gaya, 5th or 6th century.
Korean name
Hangul	가야
Hanja	加耶 or 伽倻
Revised Romanization	Gaya
McCune–Reischauer	Kaya

Gaya was a confederacy of territorial polities in the Nakdong River basin of southern Korea, growing out of the Byeonhan confederacy of the Samhan period. The traditional period used by historians for Gaya chronology is 42 - 532 CE. According to archaeological evidence in the third and fourth centuries some of the city-states of Byeonhan evolved into the Gaya confederacy, which was later annexed by Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. The individual polities that made up the Gaya confederacy have been characterized as small city-states. . The material culture remains of Gaya culture mainly consist of burials and their contents of mortuary goods that have been excavated by archaeologists. Archaeologists interpret mounded burial cemeteries of the late third and early fourth centuries such as Daeseong-dong in Gimhae and Bokcheon-dong in Busan as the royal burial grounds of Gaya polities.

Names

Although most commonly referred to as Gaya (가야; 加耶, 伽耶, 伽倻), probably due to the imprecision of transcribing Korean words into hanja, historical sources use a variety of names, including Kaya, Garak (가락; 駕洛, 迦落), Gara (가라; 加羅, 伽羅, 迦羅, 柯羅), Garyang (가량;加良), and Guya (구야; 狗耶).

History

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History of Korea
Prehistoric period Palaeolithic 700,000 BC-8000 BC Neolithic 8000 BC–1500 BC * Jeulmun Bronze Age 1500 BC–300 BC * Mumun * Liaoning dagger
Ancient period Gojoseon 2333 BC–108 BC * Dangun * Gija * Wiman Jin 4th–2nd century BC Yemaek
Proto–Three Kingdoms period Takri Dongye Buyeo Eastern Galsa Okjeo Samhan Ma Byeon Jin Goguryeo Tamna Nakrang Four Commanderies of Han
Three Kingdoms period Goguryeo 37 BC–668 AD Baekje 18 BC–660 AD Silla 57 BC–935 AD Gaya confederacy 42–562 Tamna (Tributary of Baekje) 498–660 Usan 512–930
Northern and Southern period United Silla (Unified Silla) 668–892 Balhae 698–926 Little Goguryeo 699–820 Tamna (Tributary of Silla) 662–925
Later Three Kingdoms period Later Baekje 892–936 Taebong (Later Goguryeo) 901–918 Unified Silla (Later Silla) 892–935 Later Sabeol 919–927 Dongdan Kingdom 926–936 Later Balhae 927–935 Jeongan 938–986
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According to a legend recorded in the Samguk Yusa written in the 13th century, in the year 42 CE, six eggs descended from the heaven with a message that they would be kings. Six boys were born, and within 12 days they grew mature. One of them, named Suro, became the king of Geumgwan Gaya, and the other five founded the remaining five Gayas, namely Daegaya, Seongsan Gaya, Ara Gaya, Goryeong Gaya, and Sogaya.

The Gaya polities evolved out of the chiefly political structures of the twelve tribes of the ancient Byeonhan, one of the Samhan confederacies. The loosely organized chiefdoms resolved into six Gaya groups, centered around Geumgwan Gaya. On the basis of archaeological sources as well as limited written records, scholars such as Sin have identified the late 3rd century as a period of transition from Byeonhan to Gaya, with increasing military activity and changing funerary customs. Sin further argues that this was associated with the replacement of the previous elite in some principalities (including Daegaya) by elements from Buyeo, who brought a more militaristic ideology and style of rule. h The Gaya Confederacy disintegrated under pressure from Goguryeo between 391 and 412 AD, although the last Gaya polities remained independent until they were conquered by Silla in 532 AD, as punishment for assisting Baekje in a war against Silla. (see Daegaya).

Economy

Polities were situated in the alluvial flats of tributary river valleys and the mouth of the Nakdong. In particular, the mouth of the Nakdong has fertile plains, direct access to the sea, and rich iron deposits. Gaya polities had economies that were based on agriculture, fishing, foraging, and long-distance trade. They were particularly known for its iron-working, as Byeonhan had been before it. Gaya polities exported abundant quantities of iron ore, iron armor, and other weaponry to Baekje and the Kingdom of Wa in Yamato period Japan. In contrast to the largely commercial and non-political ties of Byeonhan, Gaya polities seem to have attempted to maintain strong political ties with those kingdoms as well.

Politics

Several ancient historical records list a number of polities of Gaya. For example, Goryeo Saryak (고려사략; 高麗史略) lists five: Geumgwan Gaya, Goryeong Gaya, Bihwa Gaya, Ara Gaya, and Seongsan Gaya.

The various Gaya polities formed a confederacy in the 2nd and 3rd centuries that was centered around the heartland of Geumgwan Gaya in modern Gimhae. After a period of decline, the confederacy was revived around the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries, this time it was centred around Daegaya of modern Goryeong. However, it was unable to defend itself against the incursions and attacks of the neighboring kingdom of Silla.

Political and trade relations with Japan are a matter of controversy. Wa may have been a colony or tributary of Baekje with archaeological evidence suggesting that Gaya polities were the main exporter of technology and culture to Kyushu at that time. Some Japanese scholars point to the controversial Nihonshoki, which claims that Gaya (named "Mimana" also "Kara" in Japanese) was a colony or tributary of Japan. However, this theory is widely rejected even in Japan as there was no Japanese dynasty at the time which had a strong enough military power to conquer Gaya or any other part of Korea. The technology of Gaya was much more advanced than the Japanese dynasties.

Gallery

• Gold crown and accessories.
• Horn-shaped cup from Gaya that may illustrate connection of Persian culture through the Silk Road to Korea.
• Gaya pottery at the National Museum of Korea.
• Shield ornaments excavated from the Daeseong-dong cemetery site in Gimhae.
• This iron helmet illustrates the skill of iron-working and importance of iron from the Nakdong River valley.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• History of Korea
• List of Korean monarchs#Gaya_confederacy
• Three Kingdoms of Korea
• Crown of Gaya
• Gaya - Silla Wars

References

1. (2001). Kaya. In The Penguin Archaeological Guide, edited by Paul Bahn, pp. 228-229. Penguin, London.
2. Barnes, Gina L. (2001). Introducing Kaya History and Archaeology. In State Formation in Korea: Historical and Archaeological Perspectives, pp. 179-200. Curzon, London.
3. Barnes 2001:188-198.
4. Barnes 2001:182-184.
5. Barnes 2001:180-182.
6. Sin, K.C. (2000). Relations between Kaya and Wa in the third to fourth centuries AD. Journal of East Asian Archaeology 2(3-4), 112-122.
7. Sin, K.C. (2000).
8. ^ Kenneth B. Lee (1997). "4. Korea and Early Japan, 200 B.C. -700 A.D.". Korea and East Asia: The Story of a Phoenix. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 31 ~ 35p. ISBN 027595823X. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
9. ^ John Whitney Hall (1998). "5. Japan and the continent". The Cambridge History of Japan. Cambridge University Press. pp. 308 ~ 310p. ISBN 0521223520. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)

• Gaya
• Former countries in East Asia
• Former countries in Korean history