Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

First Advisor

Brandelyn Andres

Second Advisor

Sara Berkowitz

Third Advisor

Jack Cooney

Abstract

This thesis investigates the role of pottery as a socio-economic marker in prehistoric burials along the southern coast of South Korea, with a focus on the Late Jeulmun to Early/Mid-Mumun Pottery Periods. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of burial sites at Janghang (Gadeok-do), Sangchonri, and Yulha-ri, the study examines how ceramic design, placement, and associated grave goods reflect evolving social structures within early Korean communities. While pottery has long been examined through functional and chronological lenses, this research considers its symbolic and cultural value in funerary contexts. Findings suggest that pottery served not only utilitarian or ritual purposes, but increasingly signaled socio-economic differentiation—particularly as craft specialization intensified and access to prestige goods like jade, obsidian, and lacquerware expanded through trade. Variations in pottery design, burial construction, and artifact assemblages reveal patterns of emerging hierarchy, spiritual practice, and cultural exchange. Ultimately, this study argues that material culture—specifically funerary pottery—offers a critical lens through which to understand socio-economic transformation and identity formation in prehistoric Korea.

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