Recent Trends in Archeology of the Yaeyama Islands

Abstract

Recent archeological interests in Yaeyama district are as follows:
1. Characters and dating of the neolithic aceramic culture which has been chronicled as to be of the First Period.
2. Problem about the “Red Ware” which was newly discovered.
3. Re-examination of previous chronological framework about the prehistoric sites.
1. Recently the Funakuya, Kanda and Nagura-B shell mounds, which have been known as the sites of the neolithic aceramic culture, are investigated in purpose to find out any occurrence of pottery. But no pottery fragments were discovered from the includes of all the sites. In the chronological framework, the site of the neolithic aceramic culture has been regarded as the oldest and as fundamental of the Yaeyama prehistorical culture. Referring to the stratigraphic relationship between the Otabaru and the Kanda sites, however, it became clear that the previous idea should be re-examined. Many data recovered hitherto and comparative study of the cultural remains reveals that this culture had developed in not so old age but probably during from 5 to 13 A.D. The culture was characteristically developed near the river mouth, on the sea coast or sand dune accompanying with no pottery but stone artifacts and shell artifacts. Usage of the earth-oven cooking together with fire stones is supposed. The stone artifacts are composed of stone axes in abundance, beat-stones and whet-stones. The stone axes are large-sized in comparison to those of the other periods and, in relatively many cases, polished or semi-polished. Characteristic technique making the stone artifacts may be pinpointed on the polished-blade, which seems to have been pursuited by the following Yaeyama prehistorical cultures. Considering by the location of the sites and the combination of cultural remains, the life of this period may have been supported through fishing and esculent culture, namely, Imo-Culture.
2. Recently the Fune No. 1 site and the Otabaru site in the Ishigaki Island yielded new form pottery which differs from the prehistoric pottery reported previously from Yaeyama district and called as Yaeyama style pottery (provided with external lugs). This pottery was named Red Ware because of reddish tint. The ware is hard baked with generally thick wall and designed by nail impression. Red Ware-type includes the associated potteries without design and with ox-horn handle. This type of potteries is widely distributed in the Yaeyama Islands and is thought to be the oldest among the pottery cultures without imported chinaware. Besides, it became clear that it precedes the aceramic culture by stratigraphic survey of the Otabaru and Kanda sites. The Red Ware culture accompanies stone axes which are generally small sized, and beaten or semi-polished. A 3, 850±75y.B.P. ¹⁴C age is measured for the Otabaru site including the Red Ware. This age is not incompatible with the stratigraphic sequence. Standing upon the ¹⁴C age, a gap exists between the Red Ware and the following aceramic culture. Beside of this problem, searching the culture anteceded to the Red Ware is a subject to be progressed in the comming future.
3. Judging from the situation mentioned above, it become necessary to re-examine the previous chronicles, Development of the Red Ware culture may have been antecedent to the “aceramic culture of the first period” in the chronicle proposed by the Waseda university. After this aceramic culture, culture yielding Yaeyama style pottery accompanied with imported chinaware appears. The pottery and the Red Ware are belonged to the same lineage, although they are separated by the aceramic culture from each other. Therefore, it can be presumed that peoples who ceased to use pottery once in the aceramic culture began to use pottery again. Social background of the repeated usage of pottery beyond a gap is also the subject to be solved in the future.