Gaya Iron Armor: The Lost Kingdom of Iron

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul. Everybody knows the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. But there was a fourth player in the game, and it had the coolest power-up of all. Iron. Welcome to Gaya.

Gaya wasn't one kingdom. It was a group of small states in the south of the peninsula, near today's Gimhae and Goryeong. And the land there was rich in iron. Gaya people became master blacksmiths. They made weapons, tools, and armor, and they traded iron all over the region, even with Japan. Flat iron bars were so valuable that they were used almost like money.

Now look at this armor. Iron plates, carefully shaped and joined with rivets, to protect a warrior's body. Some armor even came with a helmet and neck guard. And here's the crazy part: Gaya also made armor for horses. Imagine a warrior in iron, on a horse also wearing iron, charging forward. That's a fifth-century tank.

So why don't we hear about Gaya as much? Because Gaya never became one strong united kingdom. Its small states were swallowed one by one by Silla, and the last major Gaya state fell in 562. Many Gaya people joined Silla, and their skills lived on. One famous musician, Ureuk, even brought the Gaya zither, the gayageum, to Silla. Yes, that gayageum, the instrument you still hear today.

Yul's tip! In the Gaya room on the first floor, look at the pottery too. Gaya pottery has unique tall stands with cut-out windows. And next time you hear a gayageum, remember: it's named after this lost kingdom of iron.