강상·누상의 재검토

A Review of the Gangshang and Loushang : Korean Bronze Age Burial Aspects and its Implications for Social Differentiation Studies

1960년대 조·중 공동발굴대가 조사한 강상·누상 적석묘의 구조, 매장방법, 부장유물 등에서 관찰된 매장양상은 당시 북한학계에서 노예주의 ‘순장묘’로 해석되어 고조선 사회의 성격을 ‘노예소유제국가’로 단정하는 사회구성체 논쟁의 단초가 된다. 남한학계에서는 초기 이러한 북한의 인식을 무비판적으로 수용한 점을 지적하고 동시성·강제성·종속성 맥락에서 순장임을 부정하였다. 그러나 이후 강상·누상 적석묘의 피장자들 간에 관계와 사회적 지위에 대해 ‘세대공동체’나 ‘혈연관계’라는 해석이 다시 논증의 절차 없이 수용되고 있다. 본고에서는 강상·누상 적석묘의 사회분화 연구에 대한 재인식을 통해 비록 노예가 한 번에 순장당한 것은 아닐지라도, 혈연관계나 세대공동체의 공동묘지로 추정하기에는 죽음의 상황과 매장양상이 불일치함을 설명한다. 그러므로 여러 가능성을 살펴보아야 하며 현재 청동기시대 사회분화 연구에서 발생하는 모순적 상황에 대한 지적과 해결 방안을 모색하고자 한다.

Looking back on Gangshang (崗上) and Loushang (樓上), it was recognized that the social difference character that had been developed had been accepted without any major opposition or new repercussions. However, since this is an issue in studies of all tombs, including stone mound tombs, it is decided that there should be an opportunity for improvement. In the process, social differentiation studies state that the conformity of burial aspects to ‘the contexts of a death’ could be a problem. Thus, this study introduced and analyzed the burial styles of stone mound tombs in the Lianan area. In addition, this research clarified the issue of the sacrificial burial, which was raised in a debate over social formation in the North Korean academic community, as well as the refutation of the theory of the sacrificial burial in the South Korean academic community and views on the status of the buried people. Next, this study highlighted that it would be required to investigate numerous options, to highlight the current studies of Korean bronze age social differentiation's conflicting condition, and to seek answers. Rather than assuming the tombs as the cemetery for communities of kinship or generation, a new concept of stone mound tombs in Gangshang and Loushang was developed due to the incompatibility between the circumstances of death and the burial aspects. Gangshang and Loushang were brought up and reexamined because there are comprehensive morphological variations-the scale, structure, and refinement of the tomb, labor force investment, and buried relics-funeral practices, and information form the human remains . Hopefully, better alternatives can be presented through a lot of discussions, going back to the situations of burials.