A Study on Ring Ditches from Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age in Hoseo Area

This paper attempts to classify the types of ring ditches from the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age in the region called Hoseo today. In addition, it examines their features and how they have been changed. A total of five types are identified: Type Ⅰ, which has multiple rows, a flat irregular shape, and residential areas inside; Type Ⅱ, which has a single row, a flat circle or oval shape, and a vacant lot inside, but only a ring ditch is constructed; Type Ⅲ, also similar to Type Ⅱ, which is adjacent to residential space outside; Type Ⅳ, which has a single row, a flat oval shape, and including living relics inside; Type Ⅴ, similar to Type Ⅵ, but no relics existed inside the ring ditch. Type Ⅰ has separated residential groups according to ring ditch. Therefore, it could guess that it was a means that indicates hierarchies within a village. In terms of Type Ⅱ~Ⅴ, they are strongly considered ceremonial uses because of the following reasons. First of all, their ring ditches surround the top of the hill. Secondly, places separated by ring ditches are a vacant lot or have a few habitations found inside of them. The last one is the presence of entrances to them. Despite the types having a lot in common, they also show significant differences in the scale. The Type Ⅳ·Ⅴ seems that more labour was put into its construction because of its relatively large scale compared to the Type Ⅱ·Ⅲ. Furthermore, it is presumed that it played a role not only in the ceremony but also in making their community strengthen. When it comes to time, in the Hoseo area, Type Ⅰ first appeared in the early period of the Bronze Age, then followed by Type Ⅱ and Type Ⅲ. Afterwards, Type Ⅳ newly appeared in the latter period. Eventually, in the Early Iron Age, Type Ⅳ and Type Ⅴ coexisted, and Type Ⅱ·Ⅲ has not been longer identified. Since the result that estimated the scope of ritual ceremony illustrates that there are a number of remains in the visible areas of Type Ⅱ rather than Type Ⅲ, Type Ⅱ would have been a communal place that encompassed much more groups. Moreover, the number of remains in the visible areas is the same in the case of Type Ⅳ and Type Ⅴ in spite of their scale difference. It could lead to the possibility that Type Ⅳ, relatively large, did not cover the wider community. Thus, the Type Ⅳ could be the ring ditch managed by a similar scale of community to the Type Ⅴ.