A Study on the Spatial Structure of the Ancient Gimhae Bay Habancheon Village Group in the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age

This paper re-examines the spatial structure, extent, and character of Daesung-dong Ditched Enclosures I and II, which functioned as ritual spaces in the Haedongcheon Stream area of ancient Gimhae Bay during the Bronze Age. Analyzing recent excavation findings from the perspective of landscape archaeology, these enclosures are compared with similar ritual circular ditches in the mid-western and Yeongnam regions. Daesung-dong Ditched Enclosure I, which encircles Gujibong Hill, along with its internal features, is interpreted as a ‘separate settlement (byeol-eup)’ with independent ritual authority. It is presumed to have functioned as a ‘sodo,’ a ritual space for the village headman (cheongun) as described in historical accounts. In contrast, Daesung-dong Ditched Enclosure II, a five-ring ditch, contains features like a dwelling presumed to be a priest's residence and a refuse pit for ritual purposes. The presence of pottery from the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age suggests it may have been an indigenous ritual space linked to the earth god. The study concludes that both enclosures were broadly contemporaneous, representing a ritual ditched enclosure village. This settlement, which combined villages and smaller settlements in the Haebancheon area, is considered a 'large village (daechon)'. The material and social system that enabled its development was based on a complex society formed through the fusion of indigenous Bronze Age and northern migrant cultures. This settlement is believed to be the prototype of the ‘euprak’ of Byeonjin-Guyaguk, which later shifted its center.