the highest, ibolchan (???). After the sacred bone rank was abolished under King Muyeol, only those holding the true bone rank could become a king.

Head ranks

Below the "true bone" came the head ranks (??, ??), of which only the 6th, 5th and 4th are attested, 6th being the highest. The origins of these lower head rank classes and what defined one's status as such are obscure and still debated among scholars. As the jingol were prohibited from marrying into the lower ranks, though they could take concubines from them, it is

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