Jomon Period (jan 1, 11000 BC – jan 1, 300 BC)
Description:
The period was named after their pottery. A jomon was a rope pressed into a clay vessel to form a design. The clay pot was then fired to imprint the design.People lived in simple surface dwellings arranged around central, open spaces. Fed themselves through hunting and gathering.
Eventually the inhabitants derived a large portion of their diet from the sea. Evidence of this diet is found in large shell mounds.
They used basic stone and wooden tools such as knives, axes, and bows. Cooking and storage vessels, woven baskets, and bone needles were eventually produced for daily use.
Japanese pottery resembling those in contemporary Korea suggest that regular commerce existed between the Japanese islands and the Korean peninsula.
Towards the end of the Jomon period, new fishing tools such as the toggle harpoon and deep-sea fishing techniques were developed. This brought communities into closer contact as indicated by the similarity among artifacts.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 11000 BC
jan 1, 300 BC
~ 10707 years