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Early States Beyond China: Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia
A survey of early kingdoms and cultures on the eastern and southern margins of the Chinese world, from Gojoseon and Yamatai to Funan, Champa and Srivijaya.
Persia and Asia
Early Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia
Early states and cultures on the eastern and southern edges of Asia.
Funan and the Port of Oc Eo
What Chinese records and excavations at Oc Eo reveal about Funan, an early Mekong delta state that traded with India and China in the first centuries CE.
Gojoseon and the Origins of Korea
Gojoseon is Korea's earliest traditional state. This article separates the Dangun legend from Chinese records of Joseon and the Bronze Age archaeology of the peninsula.
Jomon Pottery of Ancient Japan
Jomon pottery is among the world's oldest ceramics. Learn how the cord-marked wares of Japan's hunter-gatherers developed, and what they show about daily life.
Queen Himiko and Yamatai
Himiko is known only from Chinese chronicles. See what the Wei record says about her, her diplomacy with China, and why the location of Yamatai is still debated.
The Kofun Burial Mounds of Japan
From the third to the seventh century CE, Japanese elites built huge keyhole-shaped tombs ringed with haniwa clay figures. Learn what they reveal about early rulers.
The Three Kingdoms of Korea
Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla competed for the Korean peninsula from about the first century BCE to 668 CE. Learn how they rose, fought and shaped Korean culture.
Yayoi Culture and Rice Farming in Japan
From about the first millennium BCE, wet rice, bronze and iron reached Japan from the continent. See how Yayoi farmers changed settlement, society and warfare.
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