Ancient Korean History
 History of Korea
Ceramics of the Three Kingdoms
Koreans have produced pottery since the pre-historic era. Lo-lang area pottery exhibited Chinese influences. Kimhae pottery from modern-day Pusan was the first truly indigenous ceramic ware. The pottery looked like a wide-mouth pot with a flaring rim and a horn-shaped handle. A cord pattern was produced by beating the gray clay with a stringed paddle. This was the predecessor to Old Silla high-fired stoneware from the fourth century AD. The information known about ancient pottery is from the ceramics buried with the dead. They included pots, covered cups with a knobbed lid on a pedestal, and a long-necked jar requiring a stand. Clay figurines of animals and human forms are also known and it is assumed that many of these figures are meant for decorative attachment to pots. With the introduction of Buddhism, cremation became prevalent so ceramic burial objects decreased in number. However, ceramic urns began to appear. Ceramic tiles and roof tiles with inscribed images are common and are thought to have ceremonial and religious significance. The pottery of the later Three Kingdoms period are identified by the kingdom in which it was produced. Koguryo and Paekche ceramics are noted for their brown and green glazes. Silla ceramics are recognized by their random or accidental glazes.
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