초록 열기/닫기 버튼
In this article, I reviewed the aspect of textile production at different time periods of Ancient Korea, which were the major productive activities Korean women took part in. Also, I examined the significance of the textile production activities both in the personal and social aspects, and then briefly discussed about the socio－economic status that Ancient Korean women had as a reward of participating in such production activities. Textile production started as spinning and weaving activities in primitive societies, and advanced to the level of producing hemp cloth and silk in Ye(濊) and Han(韓). After the formation of ancient states, women’s textile production got expanded, with the support of royal family and government. Hemp cloth and silk were major textiles, and fine herm cloth(細布) was also produced. As state－run handicraft system emerged after the unification of three kingdoms, government offices in charge of weaving and dyeing were subdivided into a number of departments, and women expert like Mo(母) or Yeoja(女子) took important role as general and deputy general manager of the production. Textiles that women had produced were not only used for home consumption but also had exchange value. Depending on these utilities, textile was used as means to accumulate wealth or pay taxes. The fact that women in Unified Shilla were in charge of major production activities like dyeing, sewing, and cloth making suggests that textile production had meaning not only for individuals and but also for societies. Furthermore, textiles became important goods for trades with China and Japan. A few women experts in weaving and cloth making(縫衣工女) dispatched to Japan, and they contributed to the advancement of Japan’s textile production. However, it is very unlikely that those phenomena are evidences of improvement in women’s social status, although women’s textile production played a great part in both the personal and social aspects. That’s because there is a chance that we can see government encouraging women’s labor as ways to stabilize their ruling system. So, in order to give historical analysis on women’s socio－economic status in ancient societies, we need to consider not only textile production, but also have a look on role of women in farming, and reproduction activities such as childbirth, childcare, and education.
키워드열기/닫기 버튼
textile production activities, hemp cloth and silk, state－run handicraft system, home consumption, exchange value, tax payment, production activities of women
