In Search of the oldest Human Fossil Remains on the Japanese Archipelago : The Excavation of Paleolithic Layers of the Hyotan-ana Cave

hyotanana洞穴位于岩手县的岩沼镇，那里是日本最大的石灰岩地层之一。我们已经搜查了附近的许多洞穴和避难所。洞穴位于158米高的斜坡上，距离下方河流约50米。它与最高的阶地相对应，可以追溯到距今30万年左右。洞穴宽、深约20米，高10米，后部有一个小房间，宽10米，深4米，高3米。自1995年以来，在A区、C区、D区、E区几个层位发现了4个季节的岩屑工业，基本属于旧石器时代中上阶段。在第4季的挖掘中，在F区发现了一个带有石器工具和鹿骨化石的坑。所有发现均包含在晚更新世矿床中，经古地磁和地质观测证实。1999年第5季，在A区出土了大量的绳纹遗存，包括早期绳纹的划痕或无纹饰的陶器碎片、骨尖、贝壳盘等。在F区，岩屑集中在小范围内，在集中区域附近发现了鹿、日本雪貂和熊的化石骨。在那里还发现了野猪的股骨化石，这可能是一种已经灭绝的sp。综合上述发现，推测可能在后室进行了某种仪式活动。同时强调，由于考古材料与化石遗存的良好结合，我们也可以积累早期绳文的信息资料。

Hyotan-ana cave is located at Iwaizumi town, Iwate prefecture, where one of the biggest areas of Limestone formation in Japan. There have been searched many caves or shelters around here. The cave lies on slope of the height of 158 m and about 50 m above a river running below. It corresponds to the highest terrace, supposed to date back to around 300,000 years BP.The cave is about 20 m in width and depth and 10 m in height and has a small chamber room, measured 10 m (width) x 4 m (depth) x 3 m (height) in the rear part. So far lithic industries have been discovered from several horizons at Zone A, C, D, and E during 4 seasons since 1995, which almost belong to upper to middle paleolithic. During 4 th season of excavation, at Zone F, a pit with lithic tools and a deer fossil bone were discovered. All finds are included in late Pleistocene deposits, which were confirmed by Paleomagnetism and geological observations.In 1999, during 5 th season, from Zone A, large amount of Jomon remains, including scratched or non decorated pottery fragments of the incipient Jomon, bone points, discs made of shell and so on were unearthed. At Zone F, lithics were concentrated within a small area and fossil bones of deer, Japanese serow and bear were found close to the concentration. Also fossil femur of wild boar, which is probably an extinct sp., was found there too.Combining above-mentioned discoveries, it is supposed that some kind of ritual activities might have been conducted in the rear chamber. It is also stressed that we could accumulate informative data of Incipient Jomon too, due to good association of archaeological materials and fossil remains.