1.
Jomon period (approx. 14,000-300 BCE)
The earliest major period of Japanese prehistory, characterized by hunter-gatherer societies and distinctive cord-marked pottery. The name comes from the rope-like patterns (縄目文様) pressed into the pottery.
縄文時代の土器が発見された。
Pottery from the Jomon period was discovered.
縄文時代の人々は狩猟採集で生活していた。
People of the Jomon period lived by hunting and gathering.
青森県の三内丸山遺跡は縄文時代を代表する遺跡の一つだ。
The Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori Prefecture is one of the most representative sites of the Jomon period.
USAGE:
A fundamental term in Japanese history education. The Jomon period is followed by the 弥生時代 (Yayoi period), which introduced rice farming.
KEY TERMS:
- 縄文土器: Jomon pottery — the cord-marked pottery that gives the period its name
- 土偶: clay figurine — iconic Jomon artifacts
- 貝塚: shell mound — archaeological sites where Jomon people discarded shells
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 弥生時代: Yayoi period (approx. 300 BCE-300 CE) — the next period, marked by rice cultivation and metalworking
- 旧石器時代: Paleolithic period — the period before Jomon