1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Investigation of Burnt Features : Research on Heat Interference and Micro-Burning in Archaeological Features
| Project/Area Number |
04214108
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Institution | Okayama University |
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Principal Investigator |
INADA Takashi Okayama Univ., Fac.of Letters. Professor, 文学部, 教授 (40135926)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
HUDSON Mark Okayama Univ., Fac.of Letters. Lecturer, 文学部, 講師 (20284052)
MATSUGI Takehiko Okayama Univ., Fac.of Letters. Assistant Professor, 文学部, 助教授 (50238995)
KAWASE Masatosi Hiroshima Univ., Fac.of Letters. Professor, 文学部, 教授 (30093743)
ONO Akira Tokyo Metropolitan Univ., Fac.of Social Sciences and Humanities. Professor, 人文学部, 教授 (70000502)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1992 – 1996
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| Keywords | Burnt features / Iron production sites / Hearths / Charcoal |
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| Research Abstract |
(1) Surveys of Micro-burning in Palaeolithic Features
In order to investigate features which are thought to have received only small amounts of heat, archaeological excavations and geophysical surveys were conducted on Palaeolithic cultural layrs at the Onbara 1 site in Okayama Prefecture and the Mattobara site in Niigata Prefecture. At Onbara 1, five concentrations of charcoal were discovered from Cultural Layr O which dates to about 20,000 BP.Palaeomagnetism, ESCA,ESR,and volcanic glass methods were used to determine if these features had been burnt. Stone tools and small rocks were found associated with the charcoal concentrations suggesting that these were the remains of hearths made by Palaeolithic people. In general the geophysical surveys tended to support this assumption, but results varied depending on the method of analysis. An experimental campfire was built on the same soil stratum and results compared. Analysis was also conducted on Jomon period hearths where the soil was reddened and there was no doubt that burning had occurred. Results from these features were then compared with the Palaeolithic charcoal concentrations.
(2) Surveys on the Effects of Heat Noise' on Archaeological Features
Excavations and geophysical surveys were conducted at the Midoro, Konzoku, Ohgakeyama and Miyagatani sites in Hiroshima Prefecture in order to determine the effects of possible interference from burning. The first three of these sites are iron production sites. At the iron production sites, results obtained from pre-excavation Ground-Penetrating Radar, magnetometer and resistivity surveys corresponded well whih those from the actual excavations, confirming the effectiveness of geophysical methods for determining the location of smelting furnaces and other similar features. further research is needed on charcoal production sites.
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