Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western Japan
The concept of the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition is difficult to apply in the Japanese archipelago. The earliest pottery usage occurs in late Palaeolithic contexts. Holocene foragers lived in stable, permanent village settlements and constructed large scale monuments, and the first real ‘agricultu...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)
2007-12-01
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| Series: | Documenta Praehistorica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/2077 |
| _version_ | 1828060854786981888 |
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| author | Simon Kaner Takeshi Ishikawa |
| author_facet | Simon Kaner Takeshi Ishikawa |
| author_sort | Simon Kaner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The concept of the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition is difficult to apply in the Japanese archipelago. The earliest pottery usage occurs in late Palaeolithic contexts. Holocene foragers lived in stable, permanent village settlements and constructed large scale monuments, and the first real ‘agriculture’ arrived as part of a cultural package which also included metallurgy. This paper will examine the use of the term ‘Neolithic’ in the history of Japanese archaeology, with particular emphasis on what happened in the western part of the archipelago in the latter part of the Jomon period (c. 5000 BC – c. 500 BC). Recent investigations in Kyushu and Western Honshu are leading to a re-assessment of the nature of Jomon culture and society in this region, traditionally considered to have ‘lagged behind’ the more developed societies of the eastern part of the archipelago, expressed in part through much lower population densities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:02:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c11691bb3b7243dbb82b948b1f60dd5b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1408-967X 1854-2492 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:02:24Z |
| publishDate | 2007-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Documenta Praehistorica |
| spelling | doaj.art-c11691bb3b7243dbb82b948b1f60dd5b2023-01-18T09:21:34ZengUniversity of Ljubljana Press (Založba Univerze v Ljubljani)Documenta Praehistorica1408-967X1854-24922007-12-013410.4312/dp.34.1Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western JapanSimon Kaner0Takeshi Ishikawa1Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and CulturesSainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and CulturesThe concept of the Mesolithic/Neolithic transition is difficult to apply in the Japanese archipelago. The earliest pottery usage occurs in late Palaeolithic contexts. Holocene foragers lived in stable, permanent village settlements and constructed large scale monuments, and the first real ‘agriculture’ arrived as part of a cultural package which also included metallurgy. This paper will examine the use of the term ‘Neolithic’ in the history of Japanese archaeology, with particular emphasis on what happened in the western part of the archipelago in the latter part of the Jomon period (c. 5000 BC – c. 500 BC). Recent investigations in Kyushu and Western Honshu are leading to a re-assessment of the nature of Jomon culture and society in this region, traditionally considered to have ‘lagged behind’ the more developed societies of the eastern part of the archipelago, expressed in part through much lower population densities.https://journals.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/2077JomonWestern JapanJomon-Yayoi transitionAMS datingAmidaKaminabe |
| spellingShingle | Simon Kaner Takeshi Ishikawa Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western Japan Documenta Praehistorica Jomon Western Japan Jomon-Yayoi transition AMS dating Amida Kaminabe |
| title | Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western Japan |
| title_full | Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western Japan |
| title_fullStr | Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western Japan |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western Japan |
| title_short | Reassessing the concept of the ‘Neolithic’ in the Jomon of Western Japan |
| title_sort | reassessing the concept of the neolithic in the jomon of western japan |
| topic | Jomon Western Japan Jomon-Yayoi transition AMS dating Amida Kaminabe |
| url | https://journals.uni-lj.si/DocumentaPraehistorica/article/view/2077 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT simonkaner reassessingtheconceptoftheneolithicinthejomonofwesternjapan AT takeshiishikawa reassessingtheconceptoftheneolithicinthejomonofwesternjapan |