Mounds and rituals in the Jomon Period

Abstract

I will examine the possibility that earthen mounds were the result of ritual acts in the Jomon period. In the Kanto district, ring-shaped earthen mounds developed in the Late and the Latest Jomon settlements. While the number of settlements decreased from the Middle Jomon, abundant ritual artefacts have been discovered in settlements and deposits adjacent to the mounds. Burnt soil, charcoal, and burnt bone contained in the mounds could be the remains of feasting. As food processing facilities and vessels increased in the Late Jomon, I assert that the development of feasting led to the formation of the mounds.

Keywords

• Jomon
• mound
• ritual
• food
• feasting