１　Pottery residue analysis

Jomon pots are often found with carbon residues on their walls, inside and outside. With these residues, C14 dating has been carried out but it is also possible that the residues contain identifiable microremains. Pots can be used for cooking or other purposes. To discover the actual function of each pot, we must try to identify the plant, animal or other origins of the residues.

In this project, we will try to identify residues on pots by microscopy and stable isotope analysis. Experiments are also needed to learn how residue deposits may have been formed.

２　Analysis of starch on tools and in sediments

During the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in the number of reports of ancient starch in archaeological sites in many parts of the world. Australian and other researchers have found ancient starch in wide variety of environmental conditions, on diverse tools, in diverse sediments, and in archaeological contexts spanning tens of thousands of years. Little work of this sort has been carried out in Japan or elsewhere in Asia. Analysis of ancient starch opens up the possibility of learning about the full range of plants used as starchy food sources in agricultural and pre-agricultural societies.

To develop this approach in Japan, it is necessary to (i) establish modern reference collections using plants present in this country, (ii) carry out experiments on changes in starch while food is being processed, (iii) investigate the effects of burial under various climatic and pedological conditions in Japan, and (iv) examine the preservation of starch on a variety of ethnographic materials for which the function and historical context are known.

The range of archaeological artefacts and periods from which ancient starch may be obtained is potentially enormous. In this project, we will focus on key sites and artefacts from the Paleolithic and Jomon periods.

３　Acorn Processing

In Japanese broadleaf forests, trees with edible nuts are abundant, and include oaks, chestnuts, horse chestnuts, and walnuts. These are known to have been utilised prehistorically, but tools used to process these food sources have not been identified by direct or immediate association. Many methods for processing these plants are known and used today, and may have been used in the distant past, but there may also be many methods that have been forgotten. Cooking on hot stones, for example, was a widespread method of cooking in Paleolithic and Early Jomon cultures, but has not been used since about five or six thousand years ago.

In this project, we will use experiments to reveal the nutritional significance of different acorn processing methods, and chemical analyses will follow to give theoretical explanations for the effects of these methods.