Abstract
Most settlements in the middle Jomon period in the Kanto region tend to be located on upland plateau with few plant remains except for carbonized ones. This study tried to reveal what kinds of plants were used in that period at an upland Shitanoya site, Tokyo, by analyzing seed impressions on pottery and charred seed and wood remains. The analysis revealed Juglans mandshurica from seed remains, Castanea crenata from wood remains, and Glycine and Perilla frutescens from seed impressions. Seed impressions allowed to detect taxa that could not be found in charred plant remains and revealed another aspect of plant use at an upland site. At the Shitanoya site that is considered to last for about 1000 years, two groups were recognized in the impressions of Glycine seeds from their size. The smaller ones appeared when the site came to be used and seem to have been used almost through the middle Jomon period. The bigger ones appeared in the latter phase of the middle Jomon when the site began to expand and the population at this site increased. This study showed a possible relationship between the prosperity of settlements and the appearance of large Glycine seeds.
