Early Korea, a publication of the Early Korea Project at the Korea Institute, Harvard University, is a series designed to promote and develop studies of early Korean history and archaeology in the English language. While these fields are active and dynamic in East Asia, they are only beginning to develop in English-language scholarship. Early Korea provides a forum for scholarly articles focused on studies of Korean history, archaeology, and art history prior to the tenth century. Each volume features a section dedicated to several articles focused on a selected theme, along with articles on timely issues in the fields of early Korean history and archaeology as well as studies on the academic fields themselves.
The second volume, The Samhan Period in Korean History, features three articles examining historical developments and trade relations in the southern part of the Korean peninsula prior to the fourth century A.D., as well as a survey of historical sources available for the study of this period. Other articles present an annotated translation of primary source materials related to the study of the Samhan period and an overview of one of the important archaeological sites associated with Samhan society. The sixth article offers a look at the development of the field of art history in Korea through biographical treatments of two of its pioneers.