2019 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
肥沃な三日月地帯とその周辺における新石器時代の人類行動を探る
| Project/Area Number |
19F19004
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
西秋 良宏 東京大学, 総合研究博物館, 教授 (70256197)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
JAMMO SARI 東京大学, 総合研究博物館, 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-25 – 2021-03-31
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| Keywords | Neolithic / Human behavior / Fertile Crescent / Cemetery |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
In fiscal 2019, I have been doing research on the changes in human behavior and society's social structure in the Neolithic period in the Fertile Crescent. Data were collected from the Neolithic sites of Tell el-Kerkh in northern Syria and Jarmo in Iraqi-Kurdistan. Excavations at Tell el-Kerkh uncovered remains of 244 individuals from an outdoor communal cemetery. The research focuses on the funeral practice of skull removal and its symbolism in the Pottery Neolithic period based on studying 10 headless specimens uncovered from the cemetery. The results suggest that this practice was carried out on a limited basis confined to a few household members. The results of the study were accomplished and submitted for publication in the "Kerkh Neolithic Cemetery" final report. Part of the study about the gender behavior patterns of the Neolithic at Tell el-Kerkh was discussed in a poster presentation during “The 9th International Conference on the PPN Chipped and Ground Stone Industries of the Near East” which was held at the University of Tokyo 2019. Based on a remarkable number of grave goods uncovered with a male and female, the study suggests that there was evidence for the sex-based division of labour between household members at Tell el-Kerkh Neolithic society. I participated in excavations at Jarmo Neolithic site in Iraqi-Kurdistan to investigate the characteristic of Neolithic societies in Zagros region. The collected materials were analyzed and studied and the preliminary results were presented in the annual meeting of the Japanese Society for West Asian Archaeology.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.
Reason
In 2019 year, the research aimed to investigate the regional differences in the Neolithicization transition between the western wing of the Fertile Crescent and the Eastern wing and beyond it in the southern Caucasus region. There was a plan to participate in excavations carried out by the University of Tokyo at Damjiri archaeological site from July 13-28, however, I couldn't participate due to a delay in the arrival of the necessary documents to issue a visa to enter Azerbaijan. Therefore, I couldn’t be in the field and collect required data from the ongoing excavation. Luckily, I have participated in excavations at Jarmo Neolithic site in Iraqi Kurdistan from August 13 to September 11.
There was a plan to travel to Lebanon (From March 1-5) and then to Turkey (From March 5-9) to attend meetings related to educating archaeology and raising awareness of the important of Syria's cultural heritage for Syrian students and school teachers who migrated to Lebanon and Turkey. However, due to the start of the Covid-19 global pandemic, the meetings and the travel plans had been canceled. As a result, the research budget for 2019 has not been disbursed as planned by the end of the fiscal year. Therefore, I decided to carry over 500,000 yen from the 2019 research budget to the 2020 facial year in order to use it to cover travel expenses for participation international symposiums and field works.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
I am planning to continue analyzing the data and materials I have collected from the western and eastern wings of Fertile Crescent from Tell el-Kerkh in Syria and Jarmo site in Iraqi-Kurdistan. There is a plan to publish parts of my research results research in journals and books. I am contributing three chapters for the final excavation report of Tell el-Kerkh and one chapter has been submitted. I will present the results of excavations at Jarmo site in Kurdistan during an international symposium "Revisiting the Hilly Flanks: the Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic periods in the eastern Fertile Crescent" in Copenhagen University, Denmark in August 2020. Then, I will travel to Azerbaijan to participate in the excavations at Damjiri site which is being excavated by the University of Tokyo. I will collect necessary materials and data to include the Caucasus region in my study. After the end of excavations in Azerbaijan, I will join the 2020 excavation season at Iraqi-Kurdistan in the middle of September.
The spread of COVID 19 may affect conducting the study in the designated research region, especially that a number of academic events I have already planned to participate in, in Lebanon and Turkey, have been canceled. In case of travel restriction, we will conduct the research depending on the collected materials from the Neolithic sites in Syrian and from Iraqi-Kurdistan. Further, I will focus mainly on my publications and thus purchase a number of study materials and books to investigate the changes in the Neolithicization process among regions based on published data.
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Research Products
(12 results)
