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The traces of ancient Korea can be found forty or fifty thousand years back. The small group of people who were the residents of the ancient Korea at that time were Paleolithic peoples. These races of people depended on hunting and fishing for their survival. The traces of the existence of Neolithic communities can be found in the ancient Korea at around 4000 B.C. The remains of dressed stone equipments prove the existence of distinct pottery cultures in Korea. The people of ancient Korea believed in shamanism who grouped themselves in kins.
The legends of Korea say that 'Tangun' was the figure who established the first Korean kingdom of Choson. There are a few evidences that show that Choson was a merger of Walled Town states and tribal states. These tribal folks lived on agriculture. A few glimpses of political cohesion can be traced during this period.
The ancient Korea had a taste of the Bronze Age in between 700 and 900 B.C. But what has been explored by the archaeologists is that it was some parts of the Korean peninsula which went through the Bronze Age.
There have been many invasions in ancient Korea. The Yen invasion took place in 300 B.C. The Chinese political, economic and military influence was brought with the Yen invasion in the region of Old Choson in ancient Korea. More invasions followed; armies of Han China defeated the Wiman Choson kingdom and formed the Commandery of Lelang in 109 B.C. The Chinese had an eye on the Korean natural resources. Henceforth they engaged in frequent invasions of North Korea. This led to a mixed culture between Koreans and Chinese. The ancient Korea thus has a direct contact on the modern culture of contemporary Korea.
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