THE UPPER PALAEOLITHIC OF THE JAPANESE ISLANDS: AN OVERVIEW AKIRA ONO & MASAYOSHI YAMADA Abstract: This paper focuses on general outline of the Upper Palaeolithic in the Japanese Islands with an introduction of characteristic features of early use of obsidian in the early Upper Palaeolithic. A brief historical sketch of archaeological heritage management and chronological summaries of human history developed in the Islands from the Palaeolithic through to the foundation of ancient state periods also introduced for better understanding of background of Japanese archaeology. The time range of the Upper Palaeolithic in the Islands estimated as ca.40ka to 16ka by calibrated radiocarbon dates. The emergence of pottery in Japanese Islands date back as early as in ca. 15ka, therefore, incipient Jomon period began within the Late Glacial. Obsidian procurement in theearly Upper Palaeolithic emerged in ca. 38,000 cal BP. The beginning of obsidian procurement evaluated as one of the indication of concrete evidence of modern human dispersal to the Japanese Islands from the Asian mainland through Korean Peninsula, with Edge-ground stone adzes. These two elements of cultural phenomena indicate an independent creation caused by modern humans. ace.hu/am/2012_4/AM-12-04-AO&MY.pdf
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 08:35:00 +0000
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