The Experimental Study of Paleolithic Edge-ground Stone Axes in Japan

2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 15520480
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Archaeology
• Research Institution: SAPPORO INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: NAGASAKI Junichi SAPPORO INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, Department of Humanities, Professor (70198307)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2004
• Keywords: edge-ground stone axe / early Late Paleolithic age / experimental study

Research Abstract

It polishes and a lot of edge-ground stone axes .are excavated in Japan at the early Upper Paleolithic age. The edge-ground technology is used only stone implement is only Australia, Japan at Upper Paleolithic age. Are why not a local edge-ground axes excavated in a lot of continental paleolith ruins, why a lot of axe seen in the Japanese Islands at the period of the early Upper Paleolithic age, and there are a lot of problems for solution.
It considered it in the present study while using an experimental study about the usage of this local edge-ground axe. Up to now, the research of specifying the use object has progressed to use research on the stone implement by the observation with the metallurgical microscope of a high magnification. However, because soft stone was used, use disappeared polishing the cutting portion many times, and use research on hard stone such as obsidian, charts, and hard shales was a center, etc. progress was late for the axe. The example of observing use of t he axe of a period concerned at last has come to be reported in recent years. There was a problem of research representative's academic research environment, too and the edge of the experiment axe by the stereomicroscope of the low magnification was observed in the present study. There was an example of not admitting use at all, too and it became a problem though the example of observing the excavation axe was still few.
As a result, some differences were admitted in a linear scar and a minute flake scar in the cutting portion in work and the log processing (The processing experiment of not deforestation but wood was executed) that removed the joint that assumed the dismantlement of the animal. It is necessary to be admitted differing in a minute flake scar by the part of targeted kind of material and material in the experiment intended for wood, and to expand the example of a little experimenting on the object to put out the concrete conclusion now though this seems the one by the hardness difference of the object (joint and wood).