Jinhan confederacy
Jinhan (; ) was a loose confederacy of chiefdoms that existed from around the 1st century BC to the 4th century AD in the southern Korean Peninsula, to the east of the Nakdong River valley, Gyeongsang Province. Jinhan was one of the Samhan (or "Three Hans"), along with Byeonhan and Mahan. Apparently descending from the Jin state of southern Korea, Jinhan was absorbed by the later Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. Etymology "Jinhan (辰韓)" is believed to be a combination of Old Korean words. "Jin (진)" in native Korean meant "East" while "Han (한)" meant "big", giving the meaning of Jinhan, the "Big Nation of the East". As part of the Samhan, Mahan meant "Big Nation of the South" and Byeonhan meant "Big Nation of Shimmer". History Jinhan, like the other Samhan confederacies, arose out of the confusion and migration following the fall of Wiman Joseon in 108 BC. A claim found in the Chinese annals, History of the Northern Dynasties state that refugees from the Lelang area found Jinhan after political turmoil of the Qin dynasty at the end of the 3rd century BCE and carried over the name "Qin/秦". However, due to the dates overlapping