Silla: Polity Style: 4th c.-936

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Silla: Polity Style: 4th c.-936
4th century	Sara guk (斯羅國\|사라국) : Silla guk (新羅國\|신라국) [1][2]
Nov 503	the spelling of the polity name was defined to be Silla guk (新羅國\|신라국), the ruler assumed the title of Silla gugwang (新羅國王\|신라국왕) (Samguk Sagi, ch. 4)
650	the suzerainty of Tang is acknowledged by acceptance of the Tang reign era (Samguk Sagi, ch. 5, ch. 31)
8 Jan 936	the polity is annexed to Korea when a proposal for the annexation made by the ruler of Silla was accepted by the ruler of Korea at a public ceremony on 8 Jan 936 (Goryeosa, ch. 2)

Earlier, when Silla was part of the Jinhan confederation, it was referred to as Saro guk (斯盧國|사로국) (Records of the Three States, ch. 30) or, reportedly, Sinro guk (新盧國|신로국) (Book of Liang, ch. 54).
The 12th-century Samguk Sagi additionally gives the spellings Seonabeol (徐那伐|서나벌) (ch. 1) or Seoyabeol (徐耶伐|서야벌) (ch. 34) while the 13th-century Samguk Yusa, ch. 1, spells it as Seorabeol (徐羅伐|서라벌) and, contracted, Seobeol (徐伐|서벌). These are likely reflecting much later (Early Middle or Late Old) Korean spelling conventions, in which, furthermore, beol (伐|벌) seems to mark the capital the polity is named after, rather than the polity itself. The Samguk Sagi also makes the unlikely claim that the state was renamed Gyerim (鷄林|계림) in AD 65, but eventually reverted to Silla in AD 307, which contradicts the near-contemporary Chinese chronicles.

Last update: 12 Dec 2023