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ΕλληνικάINITIAL ATLAS · DIVISIONS AND REGIONS
Map of Gojoseon
Atlas of Gojoseon
Explore the places related to Gojoseon and distinguish what we know from archaeology from the accounts of its origin.
Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
Editorial visualisation · Contextual correspondence
Declared editorial visualisation, based on the cartography and sources of the fact sheet; it is not an exact historical frontier.
History and context
The map begins with Mumun and Liaoning bronzes and allows advancement through 6 phases. Documented places —Liaoning, Pyongyang Basin, Wanggeom · disputed location— appear only when they help to read the active period.
The foundation by Dangun belongs to tradition; archaeology and secure texts do not fix a continuous frontier from 2333 BCE.
Evidence and interpretation
The coast derives from Natural Earth. The layers distinguish origin, core, direct control, influence, networks, disputed territories and external domains; they are approximate curatorial envelopes, not modern frontiers. The faint outline preserves the preceding phase to make each expansion, contraction or absorption visible. The foundation by Dangun belongs to tradition; archaeology and secure texts do not fix a continuous frontier from 2333 BCE.
Catalogue facts
- Reading mode
- Regions and groups without a single frontier
- Sequence
- 6 phases · Mumun and Liaoning bronzes (c. 1500–500 BCE) → Joseon historically visible (4th–3rd centuries BCE) → Yan pressure (c. 300 BCE) → Wiman Joseon (c. 194–109 BCE) → Han conquest (109–108 BCE) → Commanderies and successor polities (108 BCE–3rd century CE)
- Nodes
- Liaoning (1st millennium BCE) · Pyongyang Basin (4th–1st centuries BCE) · Wanggeom · disputed location (Textual tradition)
- Range
- Archaeological envelope of diverse traditions.
- Caution
- The foundation by Dangun belongs to tradition; archaeology and secure texts do not fix a continuous frontier from 2333 BCE.
A closer look
About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .
From cultural area to political organisation
The study by Song Ho Jung proposes understanding Gojoseon as an organisation that progressively acquired political capacity, not as an immutable territory from the appearance of bronze. It distinguishes regional sets of Liaodong and the north-western peninsula, with differences in pottery and burial, and examines alliances articulated around Joseon. Its interpretation situates a decisive strengthening towards the 4th century BCE. It is a historiographical model, not an excavated frontier. The atlas can thus separate objects, community relations and the hypothetical reach of authority.
Location and territory
DEBATED LOCATION
Liaoning and northern Korea; the precise extent remains debatedLiaoning and northern Korea; the precise extent remains debated. The mark indicates the orienting centre of the scope, not a boundary or an exact point.TERRITORIAL ATLAS · REAL GEOGRAPHY · CHANGING EXTENT
Atlas of Gojoseon
Liaoning, northern Peninsula and foundation memories
Agriculture, dolmens and bronze daggers articulate regional hierarchies; their distribution is not a boundary of Gojoseon.
WHAT CHANGES · OriginBronze hierarchies and networks emerge between Liaoning and the northern peninsula, before a recognisable Gojoseon.
- 01 · Liaoning1st millennium BCEBronzes of daggers, dolmens and regional networks.
The foundation by Dangun belongs to tradition; archaeology and secure texts do not fix a continuous frontier from 2333 BCE.
Documentation for every period
The map is interactive. The full chronology is also available below without using any controls.
c. 1500–500 BCE · Mumun and Liaoning bronzes
Agriculture, dolmens and bronze daggers articulate regional hierarchies; their distribution is not a boundary of Gojoseon.
Origin · Bronze hierarchies and networks emerge between Liaoning and the northern peninsula, before a recognisable Gojoseon.
- Liaoning and northern peninsula · c. 1500–500 BCE
Archaeological envelope of diverse traditions.
Debated
4th–3rd centuries BCE · Historically visible Joseon
Sources from the Warring States name Joseon; its centre and exact extent between Liaoning and northern Korea remain debated.
Origin · Within the earlier sphere appears a formation called Joseon, whose location and extent remain debated.
- Joseon state formation · 4th–3rd centuries BCE
Deliberately broad area due to uncertainty of location.
Debated
c. 300 BCE · Yan pressure
Yan's advance reduces or displaces Joseon's sphere; the precise magnitude and location depend on later sources.
Contraction · The pressure of Yan contracts or displaces the sphere of Joseon eastward, with magnitude difficult to determine.
- Joseon after Yan · 3rd century BC c.
Envelope of contraction and displacement under debate.
Debated
c. 194–109 BCE · Wiman Joseon
A new coalition controls northwestern peninsular corridors and negotiates with Han; it is not a modern nation-state.
Expansion · A new coalition recomposes control of north-western corridors and expands its political links with Han.
- Wiman Joseon · c. 194–109 BCE
Approximate area with centre still debated.
Debated
109–108 BCE · Han conquest
Han armies take Wanggeomseong and establish commanderies in part of the territory; the war does not absorb the entire peninsula.
Absorption · Han occupies Wanggeomseong and establishes commanderies in part of the north-west, without controlling the whole peninsula.
- Initial Han commanderies · from 108 BCE
Approximate area of the north-west under Han administration.
Debated
108 BCE–3rd century CE · Commanderies and successor polities
Commanderies, Buyeo, Goguryeo, Samhan and other formations reorganise the region; none is a simple state continuity from Gojoseon.
Fragmentation · The conquered area and its surroundings are divided between commanderies and polities such as Buyeo, Goguryeo and Samhan.
- North-west commanderies · 108 BCE–later centuries
Han administration of changing extent.
Probable - Regional polities · 1st century BCE–3rd century CE
Successor mosaic, not a single Korean frontier.
Probable
Documented places
- Liaoning · 1st millennium BCE
Bronzes of daggers, dolmens and regional networks.
- Pyongyang Basin · 4th–1st centuries BCE
Area associated with the late historical phase.
- Wanggeom · disputed location · Textual tradition
Name of capital transmitted by later sources; position not certain.
Routes and contacts
- Documented historical connection
- Documented historical connection
The foundation by Dangun belongs to tradition; archaeology and secure texts do not fix a continuous frontier from 2333 BCE.
Sources and references
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