2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A comparative archaeological study on prehistoric burial positions in Japan and the Old World
| Project/Area Number |
16520461
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Archaeology
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| Research Institution | Osaka University |
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Principal Investigator |
FUKUNAGA Shinya Osaka University, School of Letters, Professor, 文学研究科, 教授 (50189958)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
OKAMURA Katsuyuki Osaka City Cultural Properties Association, Research Department, Chief of Museum Management Section, 調査研究部, 企画担当係長 (70344356)
SEIKE Akira Kochi University, Faculty of Humanities and Economics, Associate Professor, 人文学部, 助教授 (40303995)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2006
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| Keywords | archaeology / funerary practice / burial position / flexed burial / extended berial / 伸展葬 |
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| Research Abstract |
In well preserved depositional environment, even though archaeological data about burial positions can be almost universally colleted. However, very few studies have been undertaken on a large scale on this matter. Our project thus, tried to emphasized, with a comparative approach, on data from Japan, East Asia and Europe, and reached the 3 points conclusion below.
(1)Flexed burial was the main practice during Jomon period's Japanese archipelago. However, with the introduction of continental influence at the beginning of Yayoi period, the situation tends to change toward extended burial practices, which became mainstream during the state formation age of the Kofun period.
(2)The situation in East Asia, chronologically corresponding to Jomon period, is essentially characterized by extended burials. In fact, there is a good probability that during the earliest phase of Jomon period, funerary influences responsible for the diffusion of flexed burial in Japan rather came from the southern islands than the Asian continent itself, which point of view is quite new in the matter of thinking the genealogy of Jomon culture.
(3)Flexed burials represent the main practice in Neolithic Europe, while China shows a clear preference for extended burial. There are significant differences in burial practices due to regionalisms between eastern and western Eurasia, situation that needs further investigations regarding its background.
The above observations constitute nothing more than a basis, elaborated after three years of investigations, and one can expect new developments as we intend to conduct further research from the burial type point of view.
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