KOREA>HISTORY>The Dawn of History

1. The Dawn of History

1. The Dawn of History Farming, including the planting of rice in the warmer southern regions, started in the Bronze Age, around 3,500 years ago. Archeologists have found carbonized rice grains and farming tools at many archaeological digs from this time.  Choson or Ko-Choson (Old Choson) as modern Koreans prefer to call it to distinguish it from the other dynasty of the same name founded in the 14th century, is the name of the kingdom many people believe that Tangun, the son of a god and a woman-bear, founded. Historians think it was a walled-town kingdom located near Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea today. The rulers of this kingdom may have used the Tangun legend to make themselves seem more powerful and important to their people. The people of Old Choson probably used iron tools and weapons and may have lived in pit dwellings.  Old Choson is said to have lasted until the second century B.C. Archeologists have found many Chinese coins in archeological digs from this period but they don't know whether that means the Chinese were politically dominant or the people of Old Choson got the coins trading with the Chinese.