Ⅰ. Prehistoric Culture on the Korean peninsula and the Formation of States

The Korean peninsula and Manchuria have been inhabited since the Paleolithic ( ‘Old Stone’) Age. The ethnic ancestors of today’s Korean people settled on the Korean peninsula from the Neolithic Stone Age to the Bronze Age and engaged in rice cultivation and raising livestock. The very first state established by these inhabitants known as Old Joseon (Gojoseon). From the fourth century B.C. to the second century B.C., Old Joseon developed into a central power within Manchuria and the Korean peninsula. Following the second century B.C., several states formed in Manchuria and the Korean peninsula, and developed at a rapid pace by interacting with each other.