Reconstruction of chronology and human group relationship in the Palaeolithic Kyushu

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26770278
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Archaeology
• Research Institution: Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
• Principal Investigator: Shiba Kojiro 独立行政法人国立文化財機構奈良文化財研究所, 都城発掘調査部, 研究員 (10550072)
• Research Collaborator: OBATA HIROKI 熊本大学, 文学部, 教授 ; KAKUBICHI SUSUMU 佐賀大学, 教育学部, 教授
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 旧石器時代編年 / 中九州 / 石材消費分析 / 黒曜石利用

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The paleolithic chronology in Kyushu is greatly different between its north and south. The purpose of this research is to verify this difference by examining lithic assemblages of the central Kyushu and to reconstruct the Paleolithic chronology in Kyushu. In order to solve this problem, this research was carried out by examining already-excavated artifacts and based on the newly excavated artifacts from Kawahara 6 site, Kumamoto Prefecture, western Japan.
As a result of analysis, lithic assemblages of Paleolithic in central Kyushu can be divided into 3 sub periods at lower layers and 5 sub periods at upper layers with the A-Tn volcanic ash (30,000 cal BP) layer as the key tephra. The characteristics of the lithic assemblage of Paleolithic in central Kyushu appears in degree of usage frequency of non-local stone such as obsidian. It is suggested that this change is affected by the mobile territories of human group and the residential system.

Free Research Field

考古学