A Study on the Evolution of Settlements in the Nam River Basins during the Three Kingdoms Period: Focusing on the Hapcheon, Sancheong, and Jinju Regions

This study aims to examine the evolution and everyday relations of settlements in the Nam River basin within a socio-cultural context. Here, the everyday relations of settlements refer to the relationships between settlements distributed within the same cultural sphere. The location and structure of settlements in the Nam River basin during the Three Kingdoms Period were analyzed and classified into four types, with Type A being the largest and most complex. The settlements in the Nam River basin can be temporally divided into four phases based on their types. Phase I is characterized by settlements concentrated in the midstream area, with uncertain structures. Phase II marks the beginning of the widespread expansion of agricultural settlements. Large settlements (Type A), such as the Hachon-Galjeonri settlement group in the upstream and the Pyeonggeodong settlement group in the downstream, are surrounded by densely populated Type B, C, and D settlements. Entering Phase III, the settlement landscape undergoes rapid changes. The number of settlements decreases sharply, and the construction of tombs increases significantly. Following Phase II, the existence of large settlements in both the upstream and downstream continues, suggesting that the divided cultural spheres between the upstream and downstream persisted. In Phase IV, a clear differentiation begins to emerge between the cultural spheres of the upstream and downstream. In the downstream, large settlements disappear, while the influence of Gaya continues. Conversely, in the upstream, various cultures coexist. This is a result of the maximization of the ‘borderland’ nature of the upper regions, where the settlements located at the crossroads of transportation routes experienced the influx and coexistence of various cultures. Therefore, it is judged that the upstream and downstream had completely different cultural spheres in Phase IV, diverging around the midstream area.