2022 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
A three-dimensional quantitative study of social learning and ceramic style formation in Japanese prehistoric pottery makers
| Project/Area Number |
22F22001
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Institution | Kyushu University |
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Principal Investigator |
溝口 孝司 九州大学, 比較社会文化研究院, 教授 (80264109)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
LOFTUS JAMES 九州大学, 比較社会文化研究科(研究院), 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2022-09-28 – 2025-03-31
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| Keywords | Learning strategies / idiosyncratic variance / geometric morphometrics / ethnographic comparison / Yayoi period / Kofun period |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This study aims to provide quantifiable measures of the variable human learning strategies and idiosyncratic variance in prehistoric pottery communities in Japan. Previous international and domestic studies have not accurately quantified learning strategies using complex statistical or 3D methodology, which this study aims to achieve. The study utilizes a newly developed geometric morphometric statistical package in R, along with novel 3D technologies. The Yayoi and Kofun periods in Japan are being compared to modern ethnographic evidence in both Japan and other countries, serving as a case study for this project.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The project was initially planned to dedicate a considerable amount of time to the collection of 3D data using novel 3D scanning technologies. Unfortunately, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, not enough samples could be collected. As a result, the fellow had to acquire Yayoi burial jar data and data of burial jars dating from the Edo period as an alternative. The latter data can be compared to ethnographic records in the form of historical documents, which enabled the fellow to analyze the data from the perspective of technological learning and knowledge sharing. This development has also been fed back into the fellow's attempt to bridge ethnographic data and archaeological recognizable traces of production. In all, the project has made a satisfactory progress despite the pandemic.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
To further the progress of the project, the fellow needs to concentrate on collecting further data from the Kofun period Sue ware kiln sites. The goal is to acquire more 3D data and perform a comprehensive analysis of the Sue ware kiln sites. This analysis will help the fellow to compare the learning strategies adopted in the production of Yayoi burial jars, Edo period burial jars, and Sue ware. Each of these production styles has its own contextual characteristics, and by analyzing the differences, it will be possible to reconstruct the evolutionary trajectory of technological learning strategies.
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Research Products
(2 results)
