Silla

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For other uses, see Silla (disambiguation).

Silla (also spelled Shilla, traditional dates 57 BCE - 935 CE) was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. It began around 57 BCE as a chiefdom in the Samhan confederacies. Silla eventually conquered the other two kingdoms, Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668. Thereafter, it is sometimes called Unified Silla, occupying most of the Korean Peninsula, while the northern part of Goguryeo re-emerged as Balhae. After nearly a millennium, Silla fragmented into the brief Later Three Kingdoms, and submitted to its successor Goryeo in 935. Template:History of Korea

1 Name
2 History
3 Society and politics
4 Culture
- 4.1 Buddhism
5 See also
6 External links

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Name

From its founding until its growth into a full-fledged kingdom, Silla was recorded with various Hanja (Chinese characters) phonetically approximating its native Korean name: 斯盧 (사로, saro), 斯羅 (사라, sara), 徐那(伐) (서나(벌), seona(beol)), 徐耶(伐) (서야(벌), seoya(beol)), 徐羅(伐) (서라(벌), seora(beol)), 徐伐 (서벌, seobeol). In 503, King Jijeung standardized on the characters 新羅, which in modern Korean is pronounced Silla. The original meaning of the native word may have meant "capital city," although there are various other speculations.

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History

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Founding

Silla is traditionally said to have been founded around the Gyeongju region by Bak Hyeokgeose in 57 BCE. The earliest recording of this date is found in the Samguk Sagi, a 12th century Korean history. Modern scholars generally consider this date to be too early, likely an attempt by the author Kim Bu-sik to legitimize Silla rule by giving it historical seniority over its rival kingdoms Baekje and Goguryeo.

Hyeokgeose is said to have been hatched from an egg, and when he turned 13, six clans within Jinhan, one of the Samhan confederacies, submitted to him as king. In the early years, leadership rotated among the three strongest clans, Bak, Seok, and Kim.

By the 2nd century, Silla existed as a distinct state in the southeastern area of the Korean peninsula. It expanded its influence over neighboring Jinhan chiefdoms, but through the 3rd century, it was probably no more than the strongest city-state in a loose federation.

To the west, Baekje had centralized into a kingdom by about 250, by overtaking the loose Mahan confederacy. To the southwest, Byeonhan was being replaced by the Gaya confederacy. In northern Korea, Goguryeo, a kingdom by about 50 CE, destroyed the last Chinese commandery in 313, and had grown into a threatening regional power.

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Kingdom

Image:Three Kingdoms of Korea Map.png King Naemul (356-402) of the Kim clan established a hereditary monarchy, eliminating the rotating power-sharing scheme, and the leader's now truly royal title became Maripgan (from the native Korean root Han or Gan, "leader" or "great", which was previously used for ruling princes in southern Korea, and possibly derives from the Mongol/Turkic title Khan). In 377, it sent emissaries to China and established relations with Goguryeo.

Facing pressure from Baekje in the west, in 400, Silla allied with Goguryeo to attack Baekje and Japanese Wokou pirates. However, when Goguryeo began to expand its territory southward, moving its capital to Pyongyang in 427, Nulji was forced to ally with Baekje.

By the time of King Beopheung (514-540), Silla was a full-fledged kingdom, with Buddhism as state religion, and its own era name systems. Silla absorbed the Gaya confederacy, annexing Geumgwan Gaya in 532 and conquering Daegaya in 562, thereby expanding its borders to the Nakdong River basin.

King Jinheung (540-576) established a strong military force. Silla helped Baekje drive Goguryeo out of the Han River (Seoul) territory, and then wrested control of the entire strategic region from Baekje in 553, breaching the 120-year Baekje-Silla alliance. Image:Burial-Mounds-at-GyeongJu.jpg

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Unified Silla

In the 7th century Silla allied itself with the Chinese Tang dynasty. In 660, under King Muyeol (654-661), Silla subjugated Baekje. In 668, under King Munmu (King Muyeol's successor) and the famous General Kim Yu-shin, Silla conquered Goguryeo in the north. Silla then fought for almost a decade to expel the Chinese forces and established a unified kingdom in much of the Korean peninsula. The northern part of Goguryeo later re-emerged as Balhae.

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Decline

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Society and politics

From at least the 6th century, when Silla acquired a detailed system of law and governance, social status and official advancement were dictated by the bone rank system. This rigid lineage-based system also dictated clothing, house size and the permitted range of marriage.

Since its emergence as a centralized polity Silla society had been characterized by its strict aristocratic makeup. Silla had two royal classes: "sacred bone" (seonggol 성골 聖骨) and "true bone" (jingol 진골 眞骨). Up until the reign of King Muyeol this aristocracy had been divided into "sacred bone" and "true bone" aristocrats, with the former differentiated by their eligibility to attain the kingship. This duality had ended when Queen Jindeok, the last member of the "sacred bone" classTemplate:Fact, died in 654. The numbers of "sacred bone" aristocrats had been decreasing, as the title was only conferred to those whose parents were both "sacred bones", whereas children of a "sacred" and a "true bone" parent were considered as "true bones".

Following unification Silla began to rely more upon Chinese models of bureaucracy to administer its greatly expanded territory. This was a marked change from pre-unification days when the Silla monarchy stressed Buddhism, and the Silla monarch's role as a "Buddha-king". Another salient factor in post-unification politics were the increasing tensions between the Korean monarchy and aristocracy. Image:Cheomseongdae.jpg

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Culture

The capital of the Silla kingdom was Gyeongju. A great number of Silla tombs can still be found in the centre of Gyeongju. Silla tombs took the form of a stone chamber which was surrounded by a soil mound. A great number of remains from the Silla period can be found all over Gyeongju. The historic area around Gyeongju was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2000. Much of it is also protected as part of Gyeongju National Park.

The Bronze Bell of King Seongdeok the Great attracts a large number of tourists. The bell produces a distinctive sound, about which there is a legend. Cheomseongdae near Gyeongju is the oldest extant astronomical observatory in East Asia, while some disagree on its exact functions. It was built during the reign of Queen Seondeok (623-647).

Muslim traders brought the name "Silla" to the world outside the traditional East Asian sphere through the Silk Road. Geographers of the Arab and Persian world, including ibn Khurdadhbih, al-Masudi, Dimashiki, al-Nuwairi, and al-Maqrizi, left records about Silla.

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Buddhism

The importance of Buddhism is reflected by many Buddhist carvings left behind by Buddhist monks, mostly importantly on Mt. Namsan. These statues and reliefs are carved in stone, being preserved over the centuries.

Buddhism was supported by the state and flourished in Silla. A great number of temples were built, the most notable probably being Hwangyongsa, Pulguksa and Sokkuram. Silla attached great importance to the pagoda. Silla built stone pagodas as well as wooden pagodas.