ABSTRACT
Neolithic evidence is widespread throughout the region. Early neolithic remains from about 4000 b.c. indicate the use of polished stone tools and pottery—a round-bottomed, plain ware similar to some found in Siberia, pointing perhaps to a common ethnicity or origin. The Tan'gun myth is celebrated in Korea, for however archaic it may sound, it is distinctly Korean in origin and appeals to a sense of Korean distinctiveness and nationalism. Eventually, however, with the assistance of the T'ang, which had designs on the whole peninsula, Silla was able to overcome its traditional enemies, conquering Kaya in 562, Paekche in 660, and Koguryo in 668, thereby unifying Korea for the first time in its history. Strong evidence exists of the Siberian ancestry of the peoples who have come to be known as Korean, but the backgrounds of the earlier paleolithic and neolithic peoples are unknown.
