Ecological Environment and Economy in the Mokdan and Songhwa Rivers during Balhae Period

This study examines the livelihoods of the cultures of the Mokdan and Songhwa rivers, which are closely related to the founding and territorial expansion of Balhae, separately before and after the establishment of Balhae.Agriculture was first explored through the remains of villages along the Mokdan River. From this, I can see that the location was by the river, the size was large, medium, and small, and there were various artifacts related to livelihoods. Next, iron farming tools related to agricultural productivity were compared with those in Goguryeo to identify the process of mutual succession or change. This may be due to differences in the ecological environment between Goguryeo and Balhae’s major agricultural areas. Plant fluids were also found to be dominated by field crops. It was also argued that horses, cattle, pigs, and dogs were herded.In terms of handicrafts, I focus on ironmaking and ceramics. Iron production remains in the Songhua River-Mokdan River area include the Sin’an Iron Works in Fusong, Sin’an Fortress, and the architectural remains of Gate 3 of Sanggyong Castle. Fusong is a township in the province of Ablokbu(鴨綠府) Poongju(豐州), and Sanggyeong is considered to be the remains of iron ore processed as the capital of Balhae. Kiln sites have been identified in the Songhua River-Mokdan River area, including the ruins of Hangsan(杏山) and Sangdoon(上屯), which have been identified as the type of kilns installed for large-scale and long-term demand.In the Songhua River-Mokdan River area, freshwater fish were the most commonly harvested species, with crucian carp being the most common, which were probably caught with nets or cormorants, as evidenced by the bone-made netting gear found at the Jinheung(振興) site. Finally, the hunters focused on fur, and it was found that sable fur, represented by the prehistoric sable fur of Eupru (挹婁貂) and posthistoric sable fur of Suolun索倫貂, was the main product of the region.In the end, the main livelihoods of the Songhwa-Mokdan River area were hunting and fisheries, followed by handicraft and agriculture.