The Jomon period corresponds to the Neolithic period in terms of world history, but it also has elements unique to the Jomon period, and in Japanese history "Paleolithic", "Jomon period", and "Neolithic". Era " It is divided into.
Since human beings in these three eras used stone tools, they are also summarized as the Stone Age.
That said, the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras are tens of thousands of years apart, and cultural differences are completely different.
In this article, I will write in an easy-to-understand manner, focusing on the Jomon period and including "differences between the Paleolithic period, the Jomon period, and the Neolithic period."
About the Jomon period
The Paleolithic period refers to the period from the time humans came to Japan to 16,000 years ago, and the Jomon period refers to the period from about 15,000 to 2300 years ago.
The Neolithic period refers to the last period of the Stone Age, which is called the Yayoi period in Japan. It begins around the 3rd century BC and ends around the 3rd century BC.
Although there are differences depending on the region, from about 16,500 years ago (145th century BC) to 3000 years ago (10th century BC) when the Yayoi period, when the paddy rice farming society became full-scale, began. About 10,000 years 3000 years Refers to the period of.
There were no letters in Japan around this time, and by measuring the age from the excavated earthenware and stone tools and considering "what kind of life was done" and "what happened", it was called the Jomon period. I was able to conclude.
That is the reason * that there is a wide range of various theories and times. * There is a theory that there were some characters, but no evidence was found and it lacks credibility.
By the way, " The theory that the Jomon period began 16,500 years ago Is AMS It is a theory that came out as a result of using a method of measuring the age of events in the past that has spread recently, which is called (carbon-14 dating method).
Before the AMS method was trusted, "12,000 years ago" was the common belief at the beginning of the Jomon period, but now there are 16,500 pieces of earthenware excavated at the "Odai Yamamoto Ruins" on the Tsugaru Peninsula, Aomori Prefecture. Since it was pointed out that it may have been a year ago, the beginning of the Jomon period has been accelerated.
Differences between the Paleolithic period, the Jomon period, and the Neolithic period
As mentioned earlier, the Jomon period was a division of world history . By the way, Neolithic Is true for.
This Paleolithic and Neolithic The difference is in the construction of the weapons (stone tools) used during hunting.
- Paleolithic ... Lithic reduction ⇒ Mainly hunting and harvesting
- Neolithic era ... Ground stone tools ⇒ Mainly farming and livestock farming
Both the stone tool and the ground stone tool are " stone tools made by striking . And " Polished stone tools "is.
The first tool that human beings made was the lithic reduction tool, which used stone axes, knife-shaped stone tools, and projectile points for hunting and collecting.
On the other hand, the stone tool is a stone tool that appeared after the Jomon period, and the shape is adjusted by polishing the stone tool to make it sharper than the conventional stone tool. Some stone tools have been found to be polished in the Paleolithic period, but it is said that stone tools made by full-scale polishing will appear after the Jomon period.
Even in the Jomon period, when stone tools were used, stone tools continued to be used.
Compared to lithic stone tools, ground stone tools have less unevenness and can be pulled out smoothly, so it is said that they are suitable for repeated use with less deterioration.
It takes longer to make than a lithic reduction machine, which can be said to be due to the time available. It is now possible to secure food without relying solely on hunting.
As I wrote above, stone tool =hunting, ground stone tool =farming and livestock seems to have been a set in the past in world history, but gradually "Paleolithic" "Neolithic" It has become difficult to apply to the method of classification.
Even in the Jomon period in Japan, where we live, the old and Neolithic periods cannot be accurately applied. The Jomon period was a hybrid era in which stone tools were used mainly for hunting and harvesting, and farming was also carried out in the latter part of the Jomon period.
Therefore, in the case of Japanese history, it is thought that the unique name of the Jomon period came to be used after the Paleolithic period.
Change from the Paleolithic period to the Jomon period
It is said that during the transition from the Paleolithic period to the Jomon period, the temperature rose and the coastline became different. Naturally, the food situation will change as before.
From "Food acquisition by hunting" which was the main in the Paleolithic era, " Food acquisition of the main collection Change to. In particular, the Tohoku region seems to have prospered due to its warm climate and abundant forest resources (=food).
Why has the food acquisition situation changed?
" Bergmann's rule Do you know?
* Please check the link above.
" Similar species of animals get bigger in colder places Is the law.
The number of animals that could be hunted during the cold Paleolithic period decreased as it became warmer, forcing us to hunt small animals. Due to such changes in the environment, the food situation has changed, and the Jomon people say that it is a collection in order to break through the environment where people will starve to death if they do not eat other than the food they have eaten until then. I was securing food by means.
There is even a theory that chestnuts were cultivated and managed in Tohoku (there are some dissenting opinions).
Changes in life
The change from hunting-main life to collection-main life has also changed our lives. The sedentary life and the daily necessities that accompany it have developed. One of these daily necessities is " Jomon pottery It was used for cooking food.
The plant distribution map of the Jomon period is as follows.
From the vegetation map and paleogeography of the Japanese archipelago in the early Jomon period (around 6000 years ago)
Large-scale group life could have been a burden when just hunting small beasts, but the situation changes with the acquisition of food sources other than hunting.
- I want to reduce the chance of being attacked by a beast
- I want to secure time to make earthenware for cooking
- I want a weapon that takes time but has good performance
Considering these aspects, it can be inferred that living in a group is safer.
However, there aren't many caves all over the place, so you'll need to secure enough housing to live in a group. Due to such circumstances, after a while in the Jomon period, pit-house Has become popular.
View of religion in the Jomon period
In the Jomon period, evidence of religion, which can be said to be the beginning of Japanese religious views, was found in places, and clay figurines and stone sticks are known. It is believed that there was faith before that, but no evidence seems to have been found.
The Jomon period, when the name peculiar to Japanese history was first given, can be said to be the time when the development unique to Japan began.
As a belief in the Jomon period, it is [animism] that spirits dwell in all things. From the awe of nature, [shamanism] is known to try to borrow the power of shamans who have supernatural powers.
It is also believed that the clay figurines made during this period were used by this shaman.
In addition, customs at that time included burial, which was buried with broken limbs for fear of rebirth of the dead, and tooth extraction, which is said to have been performed as a rite of passage for adults.
Life in the Jomon period
During the Jomon period, the warm climate and the benefits of abundant nature made it easier to secure food. In addition, the warm climate caused the sea level to rise, making it an island country like the current Japanese archipelago.
As a result, no culture comes in from the continent, for better or for worse, and a unique culture is formed. Furthermore, no evidence of conflict was found in the remains of the Jomon period, and it is said that the Jomon people had a calm culture because there was almost no conflict and the climate was blessed.
What kind of life did the Jomon people live in such a calm life?
Jomon period clothing
At this time, it seems that they wore animal and vegetable clothing, so it was decomposed into soil and not excavated at archaeological sites.
But you can get clues from something.
That is ...
Dogu Is ...
The clay figurines made in the Jomon period are made with what seems to be clothes.
This clay figurine wears a tubular jacket and what looks like trousers. I can imagine that the clothes are not the fur of animals but the ones that look like cloth.
At the Sanno-Gako site in Miyagi prefecture, knitted cloth, ropes and strings have been excavated, so it seems that plant fibers such as hemp and ramie were used to make clothes.
From the above, it can be imagined that in the Jomon period, people wore cloth clothes made of plant fibers.
Words of the Jomon period
At that time, there were no letters, so no historical materials were found, so the language was not clear. However, I know that I was living in a group, so it is normal to think that I had words to communicate.
It is believed that it has its roots in Japanese.
Languages around the world have the same lineage called Proto-language. However, no language has been found in Japanese that shares the proto-language. It is believed that this was due to the unique culture of the island nation.
There is a theory that today's Japanese was formed by the introduction of the language that would have been spoken during the Jomon period and the subsequent continental culture.
Housing situation in the Jomon period
In the Jomon period, it changed from a mobile type to a sedentary type.
The place where they settled was called [mura], and a society was formed in which they lived together with multiple blood relationships.
A dwelling where people live in that unevenness [ Pit-house dwelling ] And store food [ stilt warehouse ] Was made.
At the Sannai Maruyama Site in Aomori, which reproduced the [unevenness] of the Jomon period, shell mounds were also excavated, forming a layer of shells piled up in layers, and it was found that the age reached 1500. The discovery of a large number of tombs proved that a generational change was taking place at the Sannai Maruyama Site.
Until then, life in the Jomon period was thought to be a mobile type centered on hunting, as in the Paleolithic period, but the discovery of this site revealed that long-term settlement was carried out as in the Neolithic period. ..
What is the origin of the name in the Jomon period? ??
Of course, there are twists and turns in the long period of 10,000 years. Not only earthenware and dwellings, but also the climate is changing.
Climate change has created a variety of ingenuity to adapt to the environment. It is said that this "climate change" has a great influence on the change from the Paleolithic period to the Jomon period and from the Jomon period to the Yayoi period.
You can read more about climate change during the Jomon period in the article below.
By the way, 10,000 years of this Jomon period. To tell the truth, it is divided into 6 according to the time. There is a "something" that serves as a reference when dividing the time.
What is that "thing" ...
" Earthenware found at the same time as the transition from the Paleolithic period to the Jomon period It is. Although there is an error in the age, this pottery can be divided into 6 as a standard. Please check the classification table below for each classification. In addition, if it is corrected to the division of world history, it seems to correspond to the Mesolithic to Neolithic eras.
| Early days | Approximately 15,000 to 12,000 years ago |
| early | About 12,000-7,000 years ago |
| First term | About 7,000 – 5,500 years ago |
| Mid-term | About 5,500 – 4,500 years ago |
| Late | About 4,500 – 3,300 years ago |
| Late | About 3,300 – 2,800 years ago |
" Earthenware " is so important that it is used for periodization. ". In fact, the difference from the Paleolithic period before the Jomon period lies in this "earthenware". The first three of the divisions of Japanese history "Paleolithic" "Jomon" "Yayoi" It can be said that all the divisions of the times are based on this pottery.
- The Paleolithic era is an era without "earthenware".
- The Jomon period was the time when so-called "Jomon pottery" was excavated.
- The Yayoi period is the time when "Yayoi pottery" was excavated.
See the article below for the differences between them.
" Jomon pottery " because many patterns were made by hitting or rolling a twisted string (imagine a tug-of-war rope) on the surface of the pottery. The name was given, and the name of the pottery was named after the Jomon period.