2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Archaeological investigation of ceremonial stone structures and late prehistoric societies in in northern Vanuatu
| Project/Area Number |
23520939
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Archaeology
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| Research Institution | International Research Center for Japanese Studies |
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Principal Investigator |
NOJIMA YOKO 国際日本文化研究センター, 研究部, プロジェクト研究員 (50586344)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2011 – 2013
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| Keywords | 考古学 / 民族誌 / 社会複雑化 / モニュメント / ヴァヌアツ |
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| Research Abstract |
Traditional societies in northern Vanuatu are known for the competitive leadership system of grade taking (suqe), and various ceremonial spaces associated with this practices are left on the landscape of the island. However, the process leading to the emergence of such systems is largely unknown. This project investigated ceremonial structures in the Banks Islands having distinctive brickwork facade, and basic structural and spatial characteristics of typical complexes were identified. These ceremonial complexes are of recent construction, most of which lasted into the post-contact era. These ceremonial complexes are mostly located inland or in areas suited for agricultural production; whereas different ceremonial structures are found along the coastal lowland, that are likely to have been associated with groups relaying on marine resources and shell-money production.
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