Former K.rang
Former K.rang (Shinasthana: 先祖庚, ser-tsa′-k.rang; c. 6th c. BCE) was a historical ruler in Themiclesia. He is the first Themiclesian ruler whose existence is confirmed through both tradition and direct archaeological findings, the latter of which reveals his personal name as Gjên (臣) or Gên (臤).
Life
Little is known for sure about the life of Former K.rang, as Themiclesia probably did not possess a written historical tradition at that time.
The Annals of Six States, compiled some 800 years after his death, provide fragmentary information, some centuries older than the work itself, about his reign, but the veracity of these accounts remain unconfirmed by direct evidence. The Annals state that he conquered the Ram-barbarians, the Lji-barbarians, and the Skok-barbarians. By archaeological evidence, he was active during the late 7th and early 6th centuries BCE, but "not much more can be gleamed from the twenty or so bronze vessels that bear his name". According to B. Gam, "nothing at present can be securely stated about the chronology of his leadership."
His subsequent characterization as a kind ruler confounded archaeologists who located great caches of human and animal remains that date to his reign and were within the area settled by Meng people. These sites show that an unprecedented amount of humans, mostly identified with the aboriginal population, were killed in ritualistic contexts, replacing the former prepondrance of animal sacrifices from the time of the first Meng settlements, in the 10th century BCE. This observation spurred a number of discussions about the worldview of the ancient Themiclesians, their relationship with aboriginal societies, and the source of his later image as a "kind" ruler.
Depictions
An oration in the early 3rd century BCE by a later ruler, Sixth P.rjang, mentions him as a good ruler whose memory was useful as a rhetorical device to the ruling class of the day, saying that he "will recreate the glory of Former K.rang" (將復祖庚德). By historians writing in the mid-2nd c., Former K.rang was given the epithet "Kind", and this image persisted in later histories, even though they do not provide the bases of this characterization.