The Development and Technological Innovation of Early and Middle Goguryeo Pottery Assemblages

The difficulty in the study of Goguryeo pottery fundamentally derives from the nature of the material itself, as a portion of excavated artifacts from different regions cannot be adequately explained within existing typological frameworks. Under these conditions, excessive emphasis on detailed typological distinctions or precise chronology ultimately returns to the limitations of the available data and research methodologies. Consequently, the provisional and comprehensive tripartite chronological framework continues to function as a practical analytical standard. The significance of the tripartite chronological scheme lies less in chronological precision than in its explanatory power, indicating that, under unavoidable material constraints, priority should be given to explaining material groups established in previous studies and their continuity rather than pursuing highly specific chronological arguments. Goguryeo pottery exhibits a complex spatio-temporal character shaped by historical circumstances and archaeological conditions. Although this complicates fine-grained chronology, it provides a broad temporal framework for identifying large-scale patterns of change. This study therefore examines continuity from the early to middle periods by focusing on fourth–fifth-century tomb assemblages from the Ji’an region and late fifth–arly sixth-century pottery from Goguryeo fortification sites in the southern Korean Peninsula, incorporating recent research on the early phase and materials from the Yongneung Namseong site. This continuity is understood through changes in vessel form, vessel type, and production technology, and is interpreted as a process of “technological innovation” in which externally derived techniques were gradually incorporated into an indigenous production system. Initial pottery styles emerged within a predominantly indigenous tradition in the early phase, followed by increasing symmetry associated with rotational devices. During the early Middle Goguryeo period, foreign technologies were introduced, leading to the formation of hierarchically differentiated vessel types, while from the late fourth century onward, progressive standardization culminated in a fully established system of regulated pottery production by the late fifth century.