|
|
|
|
Jomon period
|
| |
|
| |
The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 400 BC.
The term "Jomon" means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them which are characteristic of the Jomon people.
stable living patterns gave rise by around 14,000 BC to a Mesolithic or, as some scholars argue, Neolithic culture, but with some characteristics of both.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Jomon period' Start a new discussion about 'Jomon period' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 400 BC.
The term "Jomon" means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them which are characteristic of the Jomon people.
Incipient and initial Jomon (14,000 – 4000 BC)
More stable living patterns gave rise by around 14,000 BC to a Mesolithic or, as some scholars argue, Neolithic culture, but with some characteristics of both. Possibly distant ancestors of the Ainu aboriginal people of modern Japan, members of the heterogeneous Jomon culture (c. 14,000-300 BC) left the clearest archaeological record.
Early pottery
According to archaeological evidence, the Jomon people created amongst the first known pottery vessels in the world, known as Jomon Pottery, dated to the 14th millennium BC
, as well as the earliest ground stone tools. The antiquity of this pottery was first identified after the Second World War, through radiocarbon dating methods.
Archaeologist Junko Habu claims that "The majority of Japanese scholars believed, and still believe, that pottery production was first invented in mainland Asia and subsequently introduced into the Japanese archipelago." and explains that "A series of excavations in the Amur River Basin in the 1980s and 1990s revealed that pottery in this region may be as old as, if not older than, Fukui Cave pottery".
The Jomon era pottery was called Jomon doki. Jomon means patterns of rope, and decoration on most earthware resembled designs made by rope. Mostly they ate or stored their food in the pots they made. The Jomon people also made clay figures and vessels decorated with patterns of a growing sophistication made by impressing the wet clay with braided or unbraided cord and sticks.
Neolithic traits
The manufacturing of pottery typically implies some form of sedentary life due to the fact that pottery is highly breakable and thus generally useless to hunter-gatherers who are constantly on the move. Therefore, the Jomon people were probably some of the earliest sedentary or at least semi-sedentary people in the world. They used chipped stone tools, ground stone tools, traps, and bows, and were probably semi-sedentary hunters-gatherers and skillful coastal and deep-water fishermen. They practiced a rudimentary form of agriculture and lived in caves and later in groups of either shallow pit dwellings or above-ground houses, leaving rich middens for modern archaeological study.
Population expansion
This semi-sedentary Bejelka culture led to important population increases, so that the Jomon exhibit some of the highest densities known for foraging populations . Genetic mapping studies by Cavalli-Sforza have shown a pattern of genetic expansion from the area of the Sea of Japan towards the rest of eastern Asia. This appears as the third most important genetic movement in Eastern Asia (after the "Great expansion" from the African continent, and a second expansion from the area of Northern Siberia), which suggests geographical expansion during the early Jomon period . These studies also suggest that the Jomon demographic expansion may have reached America along a path following the Pacific coast .
Main periods
Incipient Jomon (14000 BC - 7500 BC):
- Linear applique
- Nail impression
- Cord impression
- Muroya lower
Initial Jomon (7500 BC - 4000 BC):
- Igusa
- Inaridai
- Mito
- Lower Tado
- Upper Tado
- Shiboguchi
- Kayama
Early to Final Jomon (4000 – 400 BC)
The Early and Middle Jomon periods saw an explosion in population, as indicated by the number of settlements from this period. These two periods occurred during the prehistoric Holocene Climatic Optimum (between 4000 BC and 2000 BC), when temperatures reached several degrees Celsius higher than the present, and the seas were higher by 5 to 6 metres. Beautiful artistic realisations, such as highly decorated "flamed" vessels, remain from that time. After 1500 BC, the climate cooled, and populations seem to have contracted dramatically. Comparatively few archaeological sites can be found after 1500 BC.
The Early Jomon is the first stage in the Jomon era of Japanese pre-history. The Jomon period itself ranged from 10,000 to 300 BC, with the first stage lasting from 4000 to 3000 BC. The Early Jomon is characterized by the high sea level (2 to 3 meters higher than the modern day) and a significant population increase. This period saw a rise in complexity in the design of pit houses, the most commonly used method of housing at the time. The Middle Jomon covers the period of Jomon history from 3000 to 2000 BC. Following the Early Jomon period, the Middle Jomon periods saw an explosion in population, as indicated by the number of excavations from this period.
The Late Jomon covered the period of history from around 2000 to 1000 BC, while the Final Jomon spanned from around 1000 to 400 BC.
By the end of the Jomon period, a dramatic shift had taken place according to archaeological studies. New arrivals from the continent seem to have invaded Japan from the West, bringing with them new technologies such as rice farming and metallurgy. The settlements of the new arrivals seem to have coexisted with those of the Jomon for some time. Under these influences, the incipient cultivation of the Jomon evolved into sophisticated rice-paddy farming and government control. Many other elements of Japanese culture also may date from this period and reflect a mingled migration from the northern Asian continent and the southern Pacific areas. Among these elements are Shinto mythology, marriage customs, architectural styles, and technological developments such as lacquerware, textiles, laminated bows, metalworking, and glass making. The Jomon is succeeded by the Yayoi period.
Main periods
- Middle Jomon (3000 - 2000 BC):
- Katsusaka/Otamadai,
- Kasori E1,
- Kasori E2.
- Late Jomon (2000 - 1000 BC):
- Horinouchi,
- Kasori B1,
- Kasori B2,
- Angyo 1
- Final Jomon (1000 - 400 BC):
- Oubora B
- Oubora BC(Ofunato,Iwate)
- Oubora C1
- Oubora C2
- Oubora A
- Oubora A'
See also
External links
- Jomon Japan at
- at Minnesota State University, Mankato
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
| |
|
|
