Byeonhan: Map & History
Byeonhan, also known as Byeonjin, 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.
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Byeonhan, also known as Byeonjin, 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, along with Mahan and Jinhan.
Modern Countries Once Part of Byeonhan
At its mapped extent, Byeonhan covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Byeonhan's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Byeonhan in Depth
History
This early part of the Three Kingdoms period is sometimes called the Proto–Three Kingdoms period. Byeonhan, like the other Samhan confederacies, appears to be 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.
Various cultural aspects supposedly unique to Byeonhan overlap with Jinhan, but are not universal in Byeonhan.
Culture and language
The Dongyi ("Eastern Barbarian") in the Book of Wei section of the Chinese book, Records of the Three Kingdoms states that the culture of Byeonhan was similar to that of Jinhan (言語法俗相似) and that their populations lived "intermingled together" (弁辰與辰韓雑居), while having similar language and customs.
The fifth century Book of the Later Han, however, notes on differences in their language and customs as "languages and customs have differences" (言語風俗有異), after stating that their enclosed settlements and clothing are the same.
Furthermore, the Wei shu states that "Jinhan men and women are close to Wa (男女近倭)", the ethnonym for the contemporary inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago, and like the Wa tattoo their bodies.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Byeonhan confederacy (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Byeonhan: Key Facts
| Founded | 2nd century BCE |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 4th century |
Facts from Wikidata Q1378584 (CC0).
Byeonhan Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Byeonhan appears, with the other states of the time.
Byeonhan Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 13,603 km² in 221 CE.
Byeonhan: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Byeonhan exist?
Byeonhan is dated to 91 BCE – 566 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
How large was Byeonhan at its peak?
At its peak in 221 AD Byeonhan covered about 13,603 km².
How did the map of Byeonhan change over time?
Byeonhan appears on 6 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1 CE to 500 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.