Establishing the Period of Goguryeo’s Operation of Yonglingzhen Fortress in Xinbin through Goguryeo Pottery

Yonglingzhen Fortress (永陵鎭古城) in Xinbin is the place designated as the center of the Second Hyeondo Commandary, which Goguryeo defeated and occupied at the end of the 1st century. However, at the fortress, the cultural layer with Han material culture is followed by a cultural layer associated with the Gongson Clan (公孫氏) regime, and the excavated Goguryeo pottery illustrates characteristics of the 4th century, resulting in a temporal gap. Therefore, this study attempts to specify more clearly the period during which Goguryeo operated Yonglingzhen Fortress by analyzing the excavated Goguryeo pottery. The results of the analysis indicate that the dates of the pottery from the fourth cultural layer related to Goguryeo were concentrated in the 4th century. Therefore, it is possible that the period when Goguryeo began to operate Yonglingzhen Fortress in earnest is related to the subjugation of the Yangmaek (梁貊). The Yangmaek began to be directly controlled by Goguryeo after the second half of the 3rd century, and its central area is presumed to be Taizi Fortress (太子城). Therefore, Goguryeo attempted direct control over the Yangmaek territory and left some traces at Yonglingzhen Fortress, but its importance seems to have been less than that of Taizi Fortress in the early days of its reign. As the ruling system later became stabilized, the archaeological data of Goguryeo became abundant in Yonglingzhen Fortress. Goguryeo pottery also indicates that Yonglingzhen Fortress was gradually abandoned after the 5th century.