The Regeneration of Mongchontoseong in 5-6th Century AD: After Goguryeo’s Southward Expansion and Hanseong Baekje‘s Decline

This paper aims to examine the processs of regeneration of Mongchontoseong by Goguryeo, following Baekje’s relocation of its capital to Ungjin. Drawing upon the artifacts from 1980s excavation and the recent fieldwork findings, this study explores the spatial and temporal reorganization in the Mongchontoseong after 5th century AD. The spatial distribution of the pottery from the southern part of the inner Mongchontoseong site was first explored. Goguryeo strategically reused places previously built by Baekje, including storage, ponds, and pits, and also altered the built environment. The features, iron weapons, farming tools, and pottery type also reveal the diverse aspects of the long-term occupation of Goguryeo, taking the roles of domestic housing, rituals, agricultural activities, and storage. The radiocarbon dating results from the pits and roadways show Goguryeo’s active engagement in infrastructure reconstruction from the late 5th century to the middle of the 6th century, predating the reoccupation by the allied forces of Baekje and Silla in 550 AD. The material evidence reveals Goguryeo’s prolonged regeneration of the site for the southward expansion, as sociopolitical strategies in the context of warfare in the Korean Peninsula during 5-6th century AD.