Editing Gojoseon (section)

===Dangun myth===
[[File:Baitou Mountain Tianchi.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Heaven Lake]] of [[Baekdu Mountain]], where Dangun's father is said to have descended from heaven|alt=]]

The myths revolving around Dangun were recorded in the later Korean work ''[[Samguk yusa]]'' of the 13th century.<ref name=bar0-11>{{cite book|last1=Barnes|first1=Gina|title=State Formation in Korea: Historical and Archaeological Perspectives|date=2000|publisher=Curzon|location=Richmond|isbn=9780700713233|page=11}}</ref> This work states that [[Dangun]], the offspring of a heavenly prince and a bear-woman, founded Gojoseon in 2333 BCE, and was succeeded by Gija (Qizi) after King Wu of Zhou had placed him onto the throne in 1122 BCE.<ref name=bar0-11/> A similar account is found in ''[[Jewang Ungi]]''. According to the legend, the Lord of Heaven, [[Hwanin]] had a son, [[Hwanung]], who descended to [[Baekdu Mountain]] and founded the city of Shinsi. Then a bear and a tiger came to Hwanung and said that they wanted to become people. Hwanung said to them that if they went in a cave and lived there for 100 days while only eating [[mugwort]] and garlic he would change them into human beings. However, about halfway through the 100 days the tiger gave up and ran out of the cave. The bear, in contrast, successfully restrained herself and became a beautiful woman named [[Ungnyeo]]. Hwanung later married Ungnyeo, and she gave birth to [[Dangun]].<ref>Samguk yusa《삼국유사》(三國遺事)</ref>

While the Dangun story is considered to be a myth,<ref name="Gojoseon">
*{{cite book|last=Seth|first=Michael J.|title=A History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WJtMGXyGlUEC&pg=PA443|year=2010 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|isbn=978-0-7425-6717-7|page=443}}
:"An extreme manifestation of nationalism and the family cult was the revival of interest in Tangun, the mythical founder of the first Korean state... Most textbooks and professional historians, however, treat him as a myth."

*{{cite book|last=Stark|first=Miriam T.|title=Archaeology of Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z4_bT2SJ-HUC&pg=PA49|year=2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4051-5303-4|page=49}}
:"Although Kija may have truly existed as a historical figure, Tangun is more problematical."

*{{cite book|last=Schmid|first=Andre|title=Korea Between Empires|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lVgaAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA269|year=2013|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50630-4|page=270}}
:"Most [Korean historians] treat the [Tangun] myth as a later creation."

*{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=Mark|title=Brief History of Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ByIo1D9RY40C&pg=PA5|year=2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-2738-5|page=5}}
:"The Tangun myth became more popular with groups that wanted Korea to be independent; the Kija myth was more useful to those who wanted to show that Korea had a strong affinity to China."

*{{cite book|last=Hulbert|first=H. B.|title=The History of Korea|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WdusAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA73|year=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-84941-4|page=73}}
:"If a choice is to be made between them, one is faced with the fact that the Tangun, with his supernatural origin, is more clearly a mythological figure than Kija."</ref> it is believed it is a mythical synthesis of a series of historical events relating to the founding of Gojoseon.<ref name="enc.daum.net">{{cite encyclopedia |url = http://enc.daum.net/dic100/viewContents.do?&m=all&articleID=b01g4157b |script-title = ko:고조선(古朝鮮) |encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica( Korean) |language = ko |access-date = 2006-02-10 |archive-date = 2007-06-30 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070630054223/http://enc.daum.net/dic100/viewContents.do |url-status = dead }}</ref> There are various theories on the origin of this myth.{{sfn|Barnes|2001|pp=9–14}} Seo and Kang (2002) believe the Dangun myth is based on integration of two different tribes, an invasive sky-worshipping Bronze Age tribe and a native bear-worshipping neolithic tribe, that led to the foundation of Gojoseon.{{sfn|서강|2002}} Lee K. B. (1984) believes 'Dangun-wanggeom' was a title borne by successive leaders of Gojoseon.{{sfn|Lee|1984}}

Dangun is said to have founded Gojoseon around 2333 BCE, based on the descriptions of the ''[[Samguk yusa]]'', ''[[Jewang Ungi]]'', ''[[Tongguk t'onggam]]'' and the ''[[Annals of the Joseon Dynasty]]''.<ref name="동국통감단기산정">[http://www.kookhakwon.org/KookhakStudy/ForumView.aspx?contIdx=1246 국학원 제24회 학술회의 – 단기 연호 어떻게 볼 것인가] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101075056/http://www.kookhakwon.org/KookhakStudy/ForumView.aspx?contIdx=1246 |date=2014-11-01 }} – 단기가 최초로 산정된 것은 《[[동국통감]]》으로 요임금 즉위 25년 무진년을 기준으로 삼았다. [http://dbscthumb.phinf.naver.net/0733_000_1/20110922155115622_NA6A0Y5XA.jpg/DONG1-006A.jpg?type=m4500_4500_fst_n&wm=Y 《동국통감》〈외기〉] 의 주석에는 다음과 같은 해석이 실려있다. – 古記云, 檀君與堯竝立於戊辰, 虞夏至商武丁八年乙未, 入阿斯達山爲神, 享壽千四百十八年. 此說可疑今按, 堯之立在上元甲子甲辰之歲, 而檀君之立在後二十五年戊辰, 則曰與堯竝立者非也. 이에 대한 한글 해석은 [http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=889959&categoryId=49614&cid=49614 네이버 지식백과 국역 동국통감(국역:세종대왕기념사업회)] 에서 확인할 수 있다.</ref> The date differs among historical sources, although all of them put it during the mythical [[Emperor Yao]]'s reign (traditional dates: 2357 BCE? – 2256 BCE?). ''Samguk yusa'' says Dangun ascended to the throne in the 50th year of the legendary Yao's reign, ''Annals of the King Sejong'' says the first year, and ''Tongguk t'onggam'' says the 25th year.<ref>Yoon, N.-H. (윤내현), The Location and Transfer of Go-Chosun's Capital (고조선의 도읍 위치와 그 이동), ''단군학연구'', '''7''', 207–38 (2002)</ref>

In the 7th century BCE, the [[Yan (state)|Yan]] pioneered the Northeast regions. According to ''The Growth of Yan'' and ''The Context of Guanzi'',<ref>[[Guanzi (text)|Guanzi]](管子) > 桓公問管子曰 吾聞 海內玉幣有七筴 可 得以聞乎 管子對曰 陰山之礌礝 一筴也 燕之紫山白金 筴也 發朝鮮之文皮 筴也 : Records of trade between Gojoseon and Qi</ref> it can be presumed that Gojoseon grew through trade in this era. It is estimated that Gojoseon developed so far as to be able to wage [[Gojoseon–Yan War|war against the Yan]] in the 4th century BCE.