『고려사』선거지의 구성과 내용 및 성격

Abstract

The Seon'geo-ji of Goryeosa has three main chapters: the Items on Civil Examination(科目), the Schools(學校), and the Appointment(銓注). The first chapter is composed of ten articles, for example, ones on Venue of the Civil Examination(選場) and the Directors of the Examination(試官). The chapter of Schools is divided into Government Schools and Private Schools. The last chapter, Appointment, is composed of eighteen articles including Miscellaneous Rules on Appointment(選法), Recommendations(薦擧制). It is generally believed that the overall compilation of Seon'geo-ji of Goryeosa followed examples from The History of Yuan Dynasty(『元史』) as well as The Book of Tang Dynasty(『唐書』) and The History of Song Dynasty(『宋史』). However, even with the significant contribution of The Book of Tang Dynasty to compiling the Seon'geo-ji, it is still true that the book contains items that reveal unique recruiting systems of the Goryeo dynasty. Some might raise questions on criteria of records; even though it is so, the Seon'geo-ji of Goryeosa is a rich collection of primary sources, which is compiled upon a so-called rise and fall view of history(興亡史觀). The compilation of this book could be acknowledged unique as it contains many distinctive features of the Goryeo dynasty despite the fact that it modeled after other official histories of Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasty. We can spot minor omissions or errata in this book. Some scripts are inconsistent with others and some of them provide contradictory with facts. Nevertheless, the Seon'geo-ji of Goryeosa generally conveys trustworthy historical facts.