Yoshinogari site
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Yoshinogari (吉野ヶ里 遺跡, Yoshinogari iseki) is the name of a large and complex
This archaeological site is of great importance in Japanese and world prehistory because of the massive size and important nature of the settlement and the artifacts found there. Yoshinogari consists of a settlement, a cemetery, and multiple ditch-and-palisade enclosed precincts. Bronze mirrors from China, Japanese-style bronze mirrors, bronze daggers, coins, bells, and halberds, iron tools, wooden tools, prehistoric human hair, and many other precious artifacts have been unearthed from Yoshinogari features. The total area of this site is approximately 40 hectares. This site has been continuously excavated by a number of different agencies and institutions since 1986. Due to the superior features, artifacts, and significance in Japanese prehistory and protohistory, the site was designated as a "Special National Historic Site" in 1991, and a National Park was created there in 1992. Ancient structures are being reconstructed on the site and the park is a major tourist attraction.
Yoshinogari is located 12 km from the Ariake Sea on a low hill that extends out of the Sefuri Mountains and is surrounded on three sides by land that is suitable for wet-rice (paddy) cultivation.
Early Yayoi
The earliest component of the Yoshinogari settlement formed at the southern end of the low hill extending out from the Sefuri Mountains. The earliest settlement was about 3 hectares in area and contained a ditch-enclosure. A small number of pit-houses, pit-features, and burial jars dating to this sub-period have been excavated (SPBE 2000).
Middle Yayoi
Mortuary features are prominent in this sub-period. For example, a 30 x 40 m
More than 2000 burial jars dating to this period have come to light, both inside and outside of ditched areas. Many of these burials were laid out in a long row, some hundreds of metres long, parallel with the length of the low hill in the middle of the site. Artifacts excavated from the Middle
Late Yayoi
A large outer ditch was built around the edges of the low hill, completely surrounding the settlement and cemetery areas. Inside of the outer ditch, smaller ditch-enclosed precincts were built that surrounded groups of pit-houses and raised-floor buildings. The ditches of the inner precincts of the Late
Historical perspective
The discovery and subsequent excavation of Yoshinogari caused a sustained sensation in the Japanese media in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The attention given to this site soon centred upon intense speculation that Yoshinogari could have been the capital of
See also
- Yayoi period
- Book of Later Han- Hou han shu
- Yamataikoku
- Saga Prefecture
- Daepyeong, a similar site in the Korean peninsula
- Igeum-dong site, a similar site in the Korean peninsula
- Mumun pottery period, the archaeological period in Korea that is contemporaneous with Final Jōmon and Early Yayoi
- List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments
References
- ^ "Two dōtaku (ritual bells)". The British Museum. The British Museum. Retrieved 2017-01-29.
- Barnes, Gina L.
- 1993. China, Korea, and Japan: The Rise of Civilization in East Asia. Thames and Hudson, London, pp. 220-221.
- GARI (Gyeongnam Archaeological Research Institute)
- 2003. Sacheon Igeum-dong Yujeok [The Igeum-dong Site, Sacheon]. GARI, Jinju.
- Imamura, Keiji
- 1996. Prehistoric Japan: New Perspectives on Insular East Asia. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, pp. 173, 182-184. ISBN 0-8248-1852-0
- SPBE (Saga Prefecture Board of Education)
- 2000. The Yoshinogari Site. SPBE, Saga City.
- 2001. Yoshinogari article.The Penguin Archaeology Guide, edited by Paul Bahn. Penguin, London, pp. 482. ISBN 0-14-051448-1