This volume brings together archaeological and historical information available on Gyeongju, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 bc–ad 935), and contributes to the current understanding of the developments of early Korean states. Gyeongju was the political and economic centre of Silla for a millennium, but faded from people's memory in the following millennium, until it was archaeologically discovered in the early twentieth century. During the latter half of the century, remarkable excavations continued within and around the city of Gyeongju. The excavation of the Great Tomb of Hwangnam (Tomb 98), which is thoroughly discussed in this book, would be a representative example. The publication of Gyeongju is thus a timely effort that outlines the highlights of the archaeological discoveries in recent decades and provides new insights into the establishment and development of the Silla kingdom.
Numerous books have been written on Gyeongju and Silla, but this book stands out from other earlier works in a number of aspects. Nelson explicitly states her new perspectives and approaches in chapters 1 and 10. Among them, the following three are most significant. First, Nelson presents an alternative model, and regards ancient East Asia as a tripolar world that was populated by the Chinese in central China, Xiongnu in the northern steppes and Dongyi in current northeastern China and on the Korean peninsula. Throughout the book, efforts are made to elucidate the cultural and ethnic relatedness of Silla to Xianbei (a subgroup of Dongyi) and Xiongnu. Second, Nelson places Gyeongju in a wider geographical context encompassing certain Eurasian and Indo-Pacific regions, reconstructing far-flung trade networks that linked Gyeongju with remote regions. Exotic artefacts imported or manufactured under the influence of non-local traditions, such as bead, glass, and silver ornaments are discussed in detail with reference to recent scientific analyses. Third, and most importantly, this book sheds light on the status of women in the Silla society. Nelson refutes the common assumption that women's status was low in all state-level societies. Based on mortuary analysis and the examination of written documents, Nelson instead argues that Silla women had a high social status and hypothesizes that Silla was co-ruled by men and women.
These themes run through the book and can be encountered in multiple chapters. Chapters 2 and 3 are an introduction to Gyeongju history based on written records and archaeological remains. Chapter 4 examines the industry of Gyeongju by focusing on the production of ceramics, bronze, iron and gold; gold ornaments, particularly crowns and belts, are discussed in detail. Central to Nelson's argument is that the common use of gold among Silla elites reflects both the abundance of alluvial gold in the Gyeongju rivers and the relatedness of Silla royalty to the steppe cultures. Nelson compares Silla's gold artefacts with gold ornaments from Liaoning in China, Afghanistan and other regions in the central Eurasian steppes. Nelson points out that the use of crowns was not known in central China and that jade was more highly valued than gold among Chinese rulers. She concludes that the use of gold crowns in Silla reflects the tradition of the steppe peoples. The cultural link between Silla and the Eurasian steppes is underscored again in the discussion of Silla religions in chapter 8. The religions of Silla contained multiple belief systems, such as animism, shamanism and Buddhism. Shamanism is argued to have arrived with Xianbei or Xiongnu settlers from the north.
Chapters 5 and 8 examine the inter-regional movements of objects and ideas into and out of Gyeongju. The most famous trade network between the East and West is the Silk Road, which consisted of several routes that connected Changan and Rome. This book shows that there were multiple alternative trade routes between western and eastern Eurasia, seen from the Gyeongju-centric point of view. Nelson argues that the northern steppes from central Asia to the Korean peninsula contributed more to the influx of foreign materials than the Silk Road. The silver bowls from Tomb 98 are shown to be the representative artefacts that had been imported via the northern route. The analysis of bead and glass further suggests the existence of southern sea routes that connected Silla and Southeast Asia. In chapter 8, Silla artefacts found in Japanese tombs are presented as evidence of the maritime interaction between the two regions.
The discussions on ranking and sumptuary rules (chapter 6) and rulership (chapter 7) are related; they cover the issues of women's status and gender equality in Silla society. Chapter 7, ‘Rulership in Silla’, is particularly significant and exemplifies Nelson's expertise and insight. The initial question that eventually reveals much about gender relationships in Gyeongju explains why the woman buried in the north mound of Tomb 98 had the finest golden crown. Investigation of this issue weakens the assumption of a single male ruler. Nelson argues that leadership in Silla was invested in families or clans, rather than in individuals. The examination of the kinship chart of Silla's kings and queens suggests co-rulership of a male and female pair; Nelson hypothesizes that women were the ceremonial and secular leaders, while men were the war leaders. Chapter 7 is a pioneering research effort on gender relations in ancient Gyeongju: Nelson opens up a new field of inquiry that needs to be explored further in follow-up studies.
Gyeongju covers various issues in Silla history and is a concise introduction to the ancient city of Gyeongju. It is written with minimal jargon and can potentially reach a wider readership. Readers should be cautioned, however, that this book is biased in its own right. Nelson's discussion asymmetrically places more emphasis on the external origins of the Silla culture, downplaying its indigenous developments. Many artefacts discovered in the royal tombs were prestige items with a high level of exoticness and luxuriousness. Inter-regional comparison of such objects leads the readers to speculate that the Silla elites, if not the whole population, migrated from somewhere else. I suggest that ‘mundane’ archaeological remains should have been discussed more extensively in order to provide a balanced view. Gyeongju and its surrounding regions had been populated since prehistoric times. Archaeologically, the beginning of the ancient city of Gyeongju was signalled by the construction of wooden chamber tombs, which were a popular burial type across a wide region of southeastern Korea. Cultural continuity from the pre-existing groups is remarkable when pottery and settlements are considered; the Silla elites, regardless of where they originated, had to build a kingdom in interaction with the indigenous population, which would have been the majority.
Related to this point is Nelson's endeavour to discuss long-distance trade and exchange at the expense of interactions over shorter distances. Excavations and surveys in southeast Korea show that there were multiple regional polities, which developed side by side with Gyeongju. These regional polities could have been politically independent and economically autonomous in the early stages, yet they ultimately became a part of the Silla kingdom, and Gyeongju was the hub of a constant flow of resources, labour and ideas. This volume keeps discussion on the Three Kingdoms period sites, beyond the small boundary of Gyeongju, to a minimum. This may have been the intent, as Gyeongju was the primary concern. I argue, however, that the city of Gyeongju is better portrayed when it is contextualized according to its social environments and neighbours. Archaeological remains of tumuli, large villages and fortresses located in the surrounding regions—for example, Pohang, Gyeongsan and Ulju—may reveal more about Gyeongju. They can answer new questions about who the Gyeongju people competed and fought with, how they produced and transported local resources, and how they eventually became the most prosperous of all.
One minor criticism is that this book could have benefited from a thorough proofreading and cross-checking of Korean terms, names and locations. The book presents the location of Gyeongju with three maps (pp. 2, 12 and 131), and the location changes with every map. Map 1.1 is inaccurate and places Gyeongju to the north of Yeongil Bay. Map 10.1 is completely wrong and places Gyeongju in central-western Korea. Although Nelson stated that she would follow the new official system for transliteration of the Korean-Western alphabet, the transliteration was inconsistent and the traditional McCune-Reichauer system was also used. Confusion could be alleviated by providing a glossary, at least for Korean or Chinese character readers.
A few minor problems should by no means reduce the importance of this book. I congratulate Nelson for delving skilfully into the archaeological and historical literature to offer new perspectives. Her synthesis of Gyeongju provides a significant contribution, not only to Korean archaeology, but also to cross-cultural comparisons of complex societies, state formation and gender relationships.
