Goshono Site

Goshono
御所野遺跡

Reconstructed Jōmon period dwelling at Goshōno site
Region JP
Coordinates 40°11′52.2″N 141°18′22.1″E / 40.197833°N 141.306139°E / 40.197833; 141.306139Coordinates: 40°11′52.2″N 141°18′22.1″E / 40.197833°N 141.306139°E / 40.197833; 141.306139
Type landmark
Area 75,842 square metres (820,000 sq ft)
History
Founded 2500 BCE
Periods Jōmon period
Site notes
Ownership Public
Public access Yes
Website Official website

Goshono Site (御所野遺跡 Goshono iseki) is a Middle Jōmon period archaeological site in the town of Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan.[1] Discovered during the construction of an industrial park in 1989, the remains were designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1993 by the Japanese government.

Site

The Goshono site is a large scale residential settlement from the Middle Jōmon Period, approximately 2500 BC to 2000 BC. The site is located on the east bank of the Mabechi River, on raised ground at an altitude or approximately 190 meters. There are over 800 pit dwellings extending over 75,000 m² and the site has only partially been excavated.

The settlement contains two or three groups of pit-houses dwellings, located to the east and west of a central ceremonial area containing a necropolis and ritual buildings. Nearby earthen mounds have yielded burned animal bones, seeds, pottery fragments and stone tools.

The eastern settlement contains more than 250 pit-dwellings of various sizes and a number of grave pits. The central settlement has two stone circles surrounding grave pits, encircled by what appear to be post holes to create a colonnade and to support ritual buildings. The southern portion of this area is raised earthen work, within which a large amount of pottery, stone tools, and burnt bone and plant remnants. The number of structures is also estimated to be between 200 and 250. The western area is largely unexcavated, but appears to be a residential area with between 70-100 dwellings.

The site contains a museum and reconstructions of some pit-dwellings and other structures.[2]

The museum building, which was designed after the mud-roofed buildings of the site, has won various awards such as the 2003 Good Design Award, and has a glass floor, under which a burnt-down pit dwelling from 4000 years ago is displayed.

The site is one of several submitted for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the Jōmon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaidō, Northern Tōhoku, and other regions[3][4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Naumann, Nelly (2000). Japanese Prehistory: The Material and Spiritual Culture of the Jōmon Period. Asien-und Afrika-Studien der Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin (Book 6). Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 38. ISBN 3447043296.
  2. ↑ "Goshono Site". Jomon Archaelogical Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku. Jomon Japan. 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Jômon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaidô, Northern Tôhoku, and other regions". UNESCO. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  4. ↑ 「北海道・北東北を中心とした縄文遺跡群」の世界文化遺産登録をめざして [Towards World Heritage Inscription of "Jōmon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaidō, Northern Tōhoku, and other regions"] (in Japanese). Hokkaidō Government Board of Education. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
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