An Archaeological Research for Prehistoric Obsidian Mining Activity in Takayama Obsidian Resource Sites in Nagano

高山黑曜石资源场位于长野县千宫县。明治大学高山史前遗址课题组从1984年开始持续挖掘高山南黑曜岩资源遗址。1991年，我们在北草山口发现了绳纹时代的黑曜石矿区。本报告将概述1995年至1998年期间对黑曜石矿场进行的调查和研究。在绳纹时代，黑曜石是在北寨沟和Musikura山之间开采的。即使到现在，在陆地表面仍能观察到许多陨石坑形式的地面洼地。对所有凹陷的测量（1992年、1993年和1998年的实地研究）表明，总共有195个“Saikutu-ri”黑曜岩采矿标志，它们的分布约为43 000 orri。整个地区都有乔农时代挖掘和重建的地形。顺便说一下，在北寨口用钻孔法对地下沉积物进行调查的结果……而且，在北寨口的一个冷处，采矿处最多有3米深的土堆和沙子被倾倒。现在的关隘平地形态是人工形成的，是当时绳纹人的采矿活动和倾倒的土沙堆积而成的。研究组于1997年在B-I发掘区成功发现了其中的一个矿坑。从鸟瞰的角度看，第01个矿坑的形状为椭圆形，深度约为2.5米。一种矿坑开挖方法如下。首先，他们在地上挖了一个又宽又浅的洞。接下来，他们几乎垂直地朝黑曜岩矿床方向挖掘。最后，他们在钻出直径约50厘米的小洞（类似隧道）后开采黑曜石。b -1发掘区包括第01个矿坑和其他一些特征，发现了许多绳纹时代初期（约9000 - 10000年前）的绳纹陶器碎片。我们认为绳纹人可能在那个时期就已经开始开采黑曜石了。然而，从世界史前史的角度来看，它是开采地下资源（石器原料）的极早时期，必须仔细调查。我们在B-i挖掘区发现了数以万计的黑曜石工业碎片。显然绳纹人加工黑曜石原料的地点就在矿坑上开采。然后，他们把一部分工业带到了高山附近的地区，作为石制工具（箭头、某些刮刀等）的材料。Talcayarna的绳纹人使用“双极技术”加工黑曜石原料。b - 1区出土了400多块用于打孔黑曜石原料的铁砧石和锤石。大约在1.5万年前，旧石器时代的人们来到了高山遗址，他们从北草山口上开采掉下来的黑曜石原料，并用它制作了无数的石器。另一方面，绳纹人在地下开采黑曜石原料，也制造了许多石器。因此，我们可以在高山黑曜石资源遗址追溯史前技术从地面采石到地下开采原材料的巨大变化。高崖黑曜岩矿区是日本“史前少矿”之一

Takayama obsidian resources sites locate in Chiisagata district of Nagano prefecture. Takayama prehistoric sites research group of Meiji university has continually excavated Takayarna obsidian resource sites since 1984. In 1991, we discovered an obsidian mining site in the Jomon age at the Hosikuso pass. This report will touch on an outline of the research and study on the obsidian mining sites conducted through 1995 into 1998.In the Jomon age, obsidian was mined between the Hosikuso pass and mountain side of Mt. Musikura. Numerous ground depressions in the form of craters can be observed on the land surface even now. Measurements of all depressions (field researches in 1992, 93 and 98) show that there are 195 obsidian mining marks, "Saikutu-ri", in total, and that distribution of them is about 43, OOOrri as a whole. All over the area has a topography dug up and reconstructed in the Jornon age.By the way, the result of investigating undergr&und deposits by boring-stick at Hosikuso pass … More , there have been some piles of earth and sand dumped at the mining around 3 meters deep at the most on a col of the Hosikuso pass. Then, present flat land form of the Pass is artificial, which was made by Jomon peoples mining activities and accumulation of earth and sand dumped by them at that time. Our group succeeded to turn up one of mining pits as it was shaped at excavation area B-I in 1997 - The shape of 01st mining pit is oval in a bird's-eye view and about 2.5 meters deep. A way of mining pit digging is as follows. First, they dug a wide and shallow hole in ground. Next, they excavated almost vertically aiming toward obsidian deposit. Finally, they mined obsidian after boring small holes of around 50 cm across or a kind of tunnels.The excavation area B-I including 01st mining pit and some other features, yielded many fragments of Jomon pottery made in incipient period of the Jomon age (around 9,000-10,000 years ago). We suppose that Jomon people could have already begun obsidian mining activities in that period. Careful investigation must be needed, however, because it is extremely early period as the beginning of mining underground resources (raw materials for stone tools) from the view point of world prehistory.We were able to turn up tens of thousands of stone debris industry made from obsidian at the excavation area B-i. Obviously Jomon people processed obsidian raw materials mined in the mining pits on the spots. Then, they carried a part of industry out to areas neighboring Takayama as materials for stone tools (arrowheads, some kinds of scrapers and so on).Jomon people at Talcayarna used "Bipolar technique" for processing obsidian raw materials. The excavation area B-I yielded more than 400 of anvil stones and hammer stones to percuss obsidian raw materials.Palaeolithic people who visited Takayama sites about 15,000 years ago quarried obsidian raw materials fallen down from the Hosikuso pass, and made myriad stone tools with it. On the other hand, Jomon people mined obsidian raw materials under the ground, and made many stone tools as well. Thus, we can trace big change in prehistoric technology from surface quarrying to mining underground of raw materials in Takayama obsidian resource sites. Takayanxa obsidian mining sites were one of Japanese "Prehistonc mines Less