|
The Bronze Age in the Korean peninsula witnessed many significant social and economic transformations, one of which was the transition from dispersed/linear settlements to nucleated settlements in the late Early Bronze Age and the concomitanat emergence of the "village community". This paper considers how the notion of the "village community" may have been reproduced through funerary practices of object deposition observed at the late EBA Phase i dolmens of the Yongdam complex, located in Jinan, southeern Korea. Firstly, it is suggested that the stone objects deposited in and around the dolmens may have been personal items relevant to the life history of the deceased. Secondly, the ceramic vessel parts deposited around the dolmen burials are seen to have been associated with feasting practices. Finally, the possibility that the stone objects deposited in a deliberately broken and partial state may have been involved in practices of social enchhainment is considered. it s argued that these diferent practices of object deposition mediate the sharing of memories, which in turn contributed to the estabilishment of community history. The reproduction of community history, it is maintained, would have played an important role in reproducing the notion of the "village community" |
