広島ひろしま 冠かんむり遺跡いせきで約やく4万まん2000年ねん前まえの石器せっきを発掘はっくつ 研究けんきゅう者しゃが発表はっぴょう

Researchers from the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties have announced the discovery of stone tools dating back approximately 42,000 years at a Paleolithic site in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

The excavated stone tools, based on their characteristics and the age of the strata, may belong to a period earlier than the so-called Late Paleolithic era, which was re-examined due to the fabrication problem in archaeological excavations. This makes them a significant discovery that could shed light on when humans first arrived on the Japanese archipelago.

This was presented by Sadakatsu Kunitake, a senior researcher at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, and others at the Japan Archaeological Associations research conference held in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, on the 25th.

According to the report, about 370 stone tools were unearthed together from a layer older than the one from 36,000 years ago during an excavation conducted last September at the Kanmuri archaeological site in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

Afterwards, radiocarbon dating of charcoal found in the excavated soil layer revealed that the stone tools are from about 42,000 years ago.

It is claimed that these artifacts date back about 5,000 years earlier than the ones found in Japan so far, which many researchers consider to be the oldest stone tools, dating back over 37,000 years ago.

Furthermore, some of the stone tools that were found have edges that have been chipped away to resemble saw teeth, and it is said that their characteristics are similar to those of Middle Paleolithic stone tools from over 40,000 years ago found on the Chinese mainland and the Korean Peninsula.

Regarding stone tools from a period predating the Late Upper Paleolithic, a review was prompted by the so-called fabrication scandal of archaeological excavations that came to light in 2000. However, the stone tools discovered this time may be from that era, and are considered a valuable find for understanding when humans first arrived on the Japanese archipelago.

Chief Researcher Kunitake: The door to the Middle Paleolithic period has opened. Chief Researcher Kunitake said, I believe the door to the Middle Paleolithic period in the Japanese archipelago has opened.

We shouldnt limit our discussions to just the ruins of the Japanese archipelago, but rather study them alongside the continent as part of the same context.

Since the fabrication issue, extra caution has been required, so I would like to continue building up credibility in the future, he said.

Expert: Great Expectations for the Advancement of Paleolithic Research Professor Emeritus Takashi Inada of Okayama University, an expert on Japans Paleolithic era, commented on the discovery of stone tools that may date back to a period earlier than the Late Paleolithic: Unlike the stone tools involved in the fabrication scandal, at the Kanmuri site, the stone tools have been excavated very reliably in sequence from the upper layers of the strata.

Isnt it possible that the results obtained were what many researchers considered possible?

In the ruins of Kyushu, stone tools similar to those from the Kanmuri site have been found, but for some of them, the layers in which they were excavated are unclear.

It will serve as a reference material for studying such stone tools, and there are high expectations for significant progress in future research on the Paleolithic period, he said.

On top of that, taking into account the past fabrication issue, it is necessary for the academic society to further discuss the details from now on.

He said, I want the materials to be widely shared and discussed by many people.

After the fabrication scandal, research on sites predating the Late Paleolithic period in Japan was reset to square one, as the issue of fabricated excavations by private archaeologists came to light.

In 2000, it was discovered that archaeologists had fabricated excavations by burying stone tools at sites such as the Kamitakamori Ruins in Miyagi Prefecture, where stone tools from about 600,000 years ago were claimed to have been found.

Verification by the Japan Archaeological Association was conducted, and materials from approximately 160 sites, such as the Kamitakamori and Zazaragiyama sites in Miyagi Prefecture, which were considered to be from the Early and Middle Paleolithic periods, were deemed not to be treated as academic materials.

For this reason, research on periods older than the Late Upper Paleolithic had to start over from scratch.

After the issue came to light, there were also sites where stone tools estimated to be about 120,000 years old were announced as having been found. However, some researchers point out that there is no clear evidence of human processing, and opinions are divided among scholars.

Therefore, until now, stone tools from around 37,000 years ago in the Late Paleolithic period, found at the Ishinomoto site in Kumamoto City and the Idemarayama site in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, have been regarded by many archaeologists as the oldest materials in Japan.

This time, at the Kan ruins, stone tools dating back about 5,000 years earlier than those have been discovered.

During the fabrication scandal, it was also considered problematic that the press release preceded publication in journals or presentations at academic conferences. Therefore, reports on the crown remains were presented at academic conferences so that other researchers could also verify the findings.

The Ishiki Kan Site found at the Kan Site is a Paleolithic site located in the mountainous area of Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.

The excavation was conducted twice, the year before last and last year. In the excavation carried out last September, more than 370 stone tools were discovered in a layer called Layer VI, which is deeper and older than the stratum from 36,000 years ago.

According to radiocarbon dating of charcoal found in the VI layer, it was determined that the stone tools are from about 42,000 years ago.

Most of the stone tools were made from black andesite, and among them, three items classified as pointed tools, which have sharpened tips, were unearthed.

These pointed tools have edges that are chipped away to resemble saw teeth, and it is said that their characteristics are similar to those of stone tools from the Middle Paleolithic period, over 40,000 years ago, excavated in mainland China and the Korean Peninsula.

For this reason, it is considered a valuable discovery when thinking about the period during which humans first arrived in the Japanese archipelago.