Byeonhan confederacy | |
Hangul | 변한 or 변진 |
---|---|
Hanja | 弁韓 or 弁辰 |
Revised Romanization | Byeonhan or Byeonjin |
McCune–Reischauer | Pyŏnhan or Pyŏnjin |
Byeonhan (Hangul: 변한; Hanja: 弁韓; RR: Byeonhan, Korean pronunciation: [pjʌn.ɦan]), also known as Byeonjin, (Hangul: 변진; Hanja: 弁辰; RR: Byeonjin, Korean pronunciation: [pjʌn.dʑin]) was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the beginning of the Common Era to the 4th century in the southern Korean peninsula. Byeonhan was one of the Samhan (or "Three Hans"), along with Mahan and Jinhan.
This early part of the Three Kingdoms period is sometimes called the Proto–Three Kingdoms period. Byeonhan, like the other Samhan confederacies, appears descended from the Jin state of southern Korea.
Archaeological evidence indicates an increase in military activity and weapons production among the Byeonhan in the 3rd century, especially an increase in iron arrowheads and cuirasses (Barnes 2000). This may be associated with the decline of Byeonhan and the rise of the more centralized Gaya Confederacy, which most Byeonhan states joined. Gaya was subsequently annexed by Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea.