Kasori clams

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Kasori clams

Kasori clam heaps ( Japanese 加 曽 利貝 塚 , Kasori Kaizuka ) are clam heaps and thus archaeological sites from the middle to late Jōmon period . They are the largest archaeologically developed clam heaps in the world. They are located in the Sakuragi District in what is now the Wakaba District of Chiba City , Chiba Prefecture . After the northern mussel heaps were declared a historical site in 1971 and the southern one in 1977, both mussel heaps were declared a special historical site in 2017 .

overview

Section through the northern clam pile
Section through the southern clam heap

The excavation site is located on a plain that extends two kilometers upstream on the Sakatsuki tributary of the Miyako River flowing through Chiba, about 500 m east-west and 800 m north-south. The shell pile to the north has a diameter of 130 m, the one to the south has a diameter of 170 m. The total arrangement of the mussel heaps results in the shape of an eight on 13 hectares. The entire archaeological site is located in the Kasori Shellfish Park, which also includes the Kasori Shellfish Museum. In addition to the two large ones, there are numerous smaller clam heaps from the Jōmon period and 7000 year old settlement remains on the site. The northern shell pile was formed over the course of 1000 years around 5000 years ago in the middle, the southern, horseshoe-shaped pile around 4000 years ago in the late Jōmon period. In addition to the remains of clay pots, bones of dogs and human bones were found.

Excavation history

Ueda Eikichi first reported on the site to the experts in a "Report on shell remains in Shimonousa Chiba-gun " ( 下 総 国 千葉 郡 介 墟 記 ) in 1887 . In 1907, a study by the Tokyo Scientific Society for Anthropology confirmed that it was the most important clam pile in Japan. In 1963, part of the mussel pile to the south was destroyed during earthworks on what is now the excavation site. As a result, conservation efforts were intensified. In March 1964, the city of Chiba acquired five hectares of the land on which the northern mussel pile was located and managed the area as a park. In 1966, the Kasori Clam Pile Museum opened with an exhibition of excavated pottery, stone tools and bones. In 1972 the city of Chiba was also able to acquire the site on which the southern clam pile was located.

NHK reported in September 2019 that the excavation site was damaged by a fallen tree as a result of a typhoon. The tree tore a hole about 1.5 m deep and 4 m wide, exposing parts of the clam pile and scattering artifacts.

Remarks

  1. ↑ A total of 53 bone artifacts were found.
  2. ↑ This is also the reason why the northern mussel pile was declared a historical site as early as 1971, but the southern one only in 1977.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 加 曽 利貝 塚 . In: 国 指定 史跡 ガ イ ド at kotobank.jp. Retrieved September 22, 2019 (Japanese).
  2. ↑ Yō Satō: 特別 史跡 加 曽 利貝 塚 （千葉 県 千葉 市） . In: The World of Cultural Heritage. NPO 法人 文化遺産 の 世界 , accessed on September 22, 2019 (Japanese, With numerous illustrations of the excavation site and finds).
  3. ↑ 国 の 特別 史跡 「加 曽 利貝 塚」 被害 . In: News Web. NHK , September 22, 2019, accessed September 22, 2019 (Japanese).

Web links

Commons : Kasori Clam Pile  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files


Coordinates: 35 ° 37 '24 "  N , 140 ° 9' 53"  E