Ethnoarchaeology of Introducing Agriculture and Social Continuity among Sedentarised Hunter–Gatherers: The Transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi Period

Research reveals that the transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi period in northern Japan involved minimal social disruption despite the introduction of agriculture, particularly paddy rice cultivation. While the shift to a selective economy focused on rice and wild boar had varying societal impacts depending on water resource investment, broader economic practices remained stable. The study employed an ethnoarchaeological approach, analyzing ethnohistorical materials from the Early Edo period alongside archaeological evidence from the Late and Final Jomon periods to assess relationships between hunter-gatherers and farmers—coexistence, fusion, or assimilation—focusing on scenarios of fusion.

Ikeya, K. (2021). Ethnoarchaeology of Introducing Agriculture and Social Continuity among Sedentarised Hunter–Gatherers: The Transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi Period. Quaternary, 4(3), 28. https://doi.org/10.3390/quat4030028