Process of soybean and azuki domestication during the Jomon period in the central highland of Japan

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25284154
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Archaeology
• Research Institution: Meiji University
• Principal Investigator: AIDA Susumu 明治大学, 研究・知財戦略機構, 研究推進員 (40581757)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 中沢 道彦 明治大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 研究員 (40626032) ; 那須 浩郎 総合研究大学院大学, その他の研究科, 助教 (60390704) ; 佐々木 由香 明治大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 研究員 (70642057)
• Research Collaborator: YAMADA Takehumi 岡谷市教育委員会, 埋蔵文化財発掘調査員 ; KOSIISI Hazime 岡谷市土師の会, 会長
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 植物考古学 / レプリカ法 / フローテーション法 / 実験考古学 / 縄文農耕論 / ドメスティケーション / 古気候・古環境

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the final year, we gathered and compared the size data of carbonized seeds and seed impressions during the Jomon period. The results show that the seed size increased from 6000 to 4500 years ago both in soybean and azuki. We assumed that the domestication was probably occurred during the time period, because the seed size gradually increased in 1500 years, and the seed size expanded over the size range of modern wild species. Geographically, the seed size enlargement have been occurred in the central highland of Japan. However, we do not know why the seed size enlargement has been occurred in that time period and in that geographical region. There is a possibility that the seed size enlargement episode was linked with population increase in the region. We have to continue further archaeobotanical, experimental and genetic studies to test the hypothesis.

Free Research Field

日本考古学、実験考古学