ABSTRACT
On the basis of a combination of archaeological and historic evidence, this chapter explores that it is possible to go further, and to argue that women and men in Ko-Shilla (Old Shilla) enjoyed social equality. The evidence shows that women were not confined to the house, boys were not favored over girls, and a woman could achieve anything, including the rulership, as long as her aspirations were permissible within her social class. The evidence leading to this hypothesis is derived from several sources. First it is necessary to consider the archaeology of the Shilla period at its most basic levelthe discoveries and the underlying assumptions used to evaluate the data from the excavations. In deference to Chinese attitudes, it is likely that both Buddhist and Confucian authors would suppress or distort gender equality in Shilla in early times, if it existed.
