Like with many archeological excavations, the majority of what is found comes from burial tombs. The ancient people who inhabited the Korean Peninsula are no exception. Three hundred to six hundred CE marked the largest cultural transformation the peninsula had ever seen before the twentieth century. Four main powers ruled: Koguyro, Paekche, Kaya, and Silla. Scholars know the era of time these nations controlled the Korean Peninsula as the Three Kingdoms Period. Historically, this period ranges from 57 to 668 CE, ending with the consolidation of these powers into the United Silla. However, it is that three hundred year period of growth and cultural development that occurred within the three kingdom’s period that allowed the Kingdom of Silla to unite the peninsula under a single leadership. This era introduced a new religion, a new identity of aristocracy, and eventually a new government. This transition and its importance in Korean culture will be proven through the historical considerations of artifacts found in the various tomb sites within each kingdom of the Korean peninsula. The artifacts and the types of tombs they were found in will indicate how these powers eventually assimilated and created the Korean identity that is still remembered today.
