Subsistence Basis and Environment of West-Asian Civilization

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Ancient West Asian Civilization as the foundation of all modern civilizations: A counter to the 'Clash of Civilizations' theory.
• Project/Area Number: 24101006
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Humanities and Social Sciences
• Research Institution: The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
• Principal Investigator: Hongo Hitomi 総合研究大学院大学, 先導科学研究科, 准教授 (20303919)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 姉崎 智子 群馬県立自然史博物館, その他部局等, 研究員(移行) (50379012) ; 藤井 純夫 金沢大学, 歴史言語文化学系, 教授 (90238527)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YONEDA MIORU 東京大学, 総合研究博物館, 教授 (30280712)
• Research Collaborator: ARAI SAIJI 東京大学, 大学院 ; TAKAHASHI RYOHEI 山梨大学, 医学部 ; Gündem Can Yumni バットマン大学, 考古学部 ; YAMADA EISUKE 総合研究大学院大学 ; Geigl Eva-Maria Institut Jacques Monod ; Mashkour Marjan パリ自然史博物館、CNRS
• Project Period (FY): 2012-06-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 新石器時代 / 西アジア / トルコ南東部 / 定住狩猟採集民 / 動物遺存体 / 家畜化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The process of domestication of sheep, goat, cattle and pigs, and the development of pastoral economy was the economic foundation of West-Asian civilizations. Nomadic pastoralist have played an important role in the regional interaction. Animal bone remains from archaeological sites in upper Tigris Basin, ranging in time from Prepottery Neolithic A to Pottery Neolithic Period were investigated. Spread of domestic animals into the dry regions in southern Levant was also investigated. The early sedentary sites in the eastern Upper Tigris used a wide spectrum of wild animal and plant resources, but were abandoned without making transition to food production. One of the reasons for the discontinuity could be the overexploitation of natural resources. Domestication process slowly progressed in the next 1000 years in the upper Euphrates Basin to the west, until agriculture and pastoralism finally became the important subsistence basis.

Free Research Field

環境考古学