Zooarchaeological Approaches on arrival and dispersal of domesticated animals in East Asia.

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22240083
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Cultural property science
• Research Institution: Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
• Principal Investigator: MATSUI Akira 独立行政法人国立文化財機構奈良文化財研究所, 埋蔵文化財センター, 客員研究員 (20157225)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ISHIGURO Naotaka 岐阜大学, 応用生物科学部, 教授 (00109521) ; NAKAMURA Toshio 名古屋大学, 年代測定総合研究センター, 教授 (10135387) ; YONEDA Minoru 東京大学, 総合研究博物館, 教授 (30280712) ; YAMADA Hitoshi 東北大学, 文学研究科, 准教授 (90422071) ; MINAGAWA Masao 北海道大学, 地球環境科学研究院, 教授 (10250507)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SHIGEHARA Nobuo 独立行政法人国立文化財機構奈良文化財研究所, 埋蔵文化財センター, 客員研究員 (20049208) ; NAKAMURA Shinichi 金沢大学, 大学本部, 副学長 (80237403)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 家畜 / 動物考古学 / 古環境 / 古代DNA / 年代測定 / 安定同位体 / 民族考古学 / 文化人類学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this project is to analyze the origins and dispersal of agriculture and domesticated animals in an interdisciplinary study of relevant fields, such as zooarchaeology, cultural anthropology and molecular biology. We have conducted a lot of ethno-archeological research in East Asia to clarify the cultural history between people and their livestock. Through our research to systematize animal breeding and the use of livestock, morphological studies of animal bones from archaeological sites were carried out in Japan, Vietnam and China. In Laos and Vietnam, we promoted ethnographic research in villages with ethnic minorities to reveal traditional livestock rearing technologies and their hunting activities. In the islands, which we think are an important area for gaining an understanding of the process of domestic animal propagation in East Asia, we used mtDNA analysis of both modern and prehistoric wild boars (Sus Scrofa) and pigs (Sus domestica) . As a result, some Sus groups were influenced by the immigration of people, while some groups don’t show such evidence. For the high-precision radio carbon dating of the archaeological specimen, we confirmed the calendar date calibration for the world standard, as well as accumulated calibrated data for the Japanese standard.
Measurement of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of animal bones from Neolithic sites in the Yangtze River basin in China verified the process of domestication and livestock management due to the effects of feeding by humans. Through fieldwork in Taiwan, we explored the spread of dog-keeping and the worldwide distribution of dog-eating habits, and also focused on their diets, slash-and-burn cultivation, livestock breeding, faith, myths and the ideas of hunters.

Free Research Field

複合領域