Ancient Jomon of Japan

Junko Habu author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:29th Jul '04

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Ancient Jomon of Japan cover

A 2004 overview of the Jomon period in Japan (circa 14,500–300 BC) within the context of recent complex hunter-gatherer studies.

This important but accessible 2004 text presents an overview of the archaeology of the Jomon period of Japan (circa 14,500–300 BC), and aims to bridge the gap between academic traditions in Japanese and Anglo-American archaeology. It represents an invaluable source of reflection on the development of complexity in human history.In this 2004 book, Junko Habu illustrates recent developments in the archaeology of the Jomon period (circa 14,500–300 BC) of Japan and presents new analyses. Unlike most prehistoric pottery using peoples, the Jomon people are thought to have been hunter-gatherers. Evidence of plant cultivation does exist, but none of the cultigens recovered from Jomon sites seems to have been used as a staple food resource. High site density, food storage, and long distance trade also characterize this Jomon period. Using ecological models of hunter-gatherer culture and behavior, Habu examines various aspects of Jamon culture including subsistence, settlement, rituals, crafts and trade, and presents a model of long-term change in hunter-gatherer cultural complexity. In this comprehensive analysis, Junko Habu helps to bridge the gap between largely Japanese discourse on this 10,000 year period of Japanese prehistory and the modern scientific debate on later hunter-gatherer societies. It will prove invaluable to students and researchers alike.

'… this book is comprehensive, informative and academically exciting.' Antiquity
'Junko Habu has provided a detailed, comprehensive, and stimulating account of Jomon variety and development … Habu's historical overviews of research trends, syntheses of current results, good grounding in theory, acute observations, and gently stated criticisms have yielded a state-of- the-art book that will serve as the authoritative introduction to the Jomon for a long time to come.' Monumenta Nipponica
'the distinctive aspects covered in this book include the chapters in which Habu presents her original reconstruction of Jomon society based on Anglo-American theories, particularly in relation to the hunter-gatherer models create by Lewis Binford. these chapters make this book a rarity in Japanese archaeology, with the exception of an earlier monograph written by Habu (2001) herslef, and Habu's arguments are important in delineating new hypotheses in Jomon research.' Anthropoligical Science
'The book is comprehensive and covers all aspects of Jomon … Habu's survey not only informs the western reader thoroughly but also offers interesting analogies for comparisons between complex hunter-gatherer societies world-wide.' Journal of Comparative Human Biology

ISBN: 9780521772136

Dimensions: 235mm x 161mm x 26mm

Weight: 680g

350 pages