Former K.rang
Former K.rang (Shinasthana: 先庚, 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.
Modern historians have generally abandoned both the canonical view that [Former] K.rang was a kind ruler who brought harmony to his subjects and distant princes, and the revisionist view that his historiographical greatness represented his ability to subjugate and slaughter large amounts of aliens or the religious piety these actions implied. In their places, a moderate view is gaining credence, stating that the quantity of deaths attributable to his leadership are connected with his "glories" in the view of 3rd-century Themiclesian nobles and the "kindness" of 2nd-century historians, but they are not the "glories" or "kindness" in se.
It has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of many that the image of K.rang in the early 3rd century and mid-2nd century probably reflect an image desired by the speaker or writer more than true historical knowledge. For example, it is obvious that K.rang is mentioned by P.rjang in the early 3rd century as a figure who overcame internal resistance to practice his reforms to the eventual acclamation of his people, and in the mid-2nd century he is more remembered as a ruler that embraced and defended the welfare of the nobles. In turn, it is very persuasive to say that knowledge about the particular policies practiced by the historical K.rang, which are the basis of this canonization, was lost or had become irrelevant to the authors of these periods...
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.