Basic Study of the Archaeological Cave Site in the Ryukyus.

本研究通过对大昭岛厚州洞第四洞口遗址的发掘，从考古学、动物考古学、考古学、植物学、骨考古学等多个方面对姑苏古时期(中世纪)洞穴的使用情况进行了考证。并与琉球岛上其他洞穴遗址进行了比较。根据以下证据，可能假设后苏洞4洞口遗址为祭祀遗址：洞穴规模较小，洞穴内部几乎没有平坦的内部结构，洞穴内部有阳光无法到达的地方，缺乏地下水，遗物及其组合稀少，遗迹遗迹的格局特殊，地下水干涸的过程中有大量的牛骨，只有碳化大麦-大米、小麦、大麦、小米-，从壁炉里确认了。

This study is intended to verify actual condition of the cave use in the Gusuku period (medieval period) from archaeology, zooarchaeology, archaeobotaney, and osteoarchaeology through excavation of Hosu Cave 4th Entrance Site on Okierabu Island. And it is compared with the other cave sites in Ryukyu Islands.As a result of the comparison, it is possibly assumed that the Hosu Cave 4th Entrance site was used for ritual site by judging from the following evidences: a narrow scale of the cave, there is almost no flat side internal structure of the cave, and an inner site of the cave which sunlight does not reach, a lack of subsoil water, a scarcity of artifacts and their combination, a specific pattern of abandoned artifacts debris, and a large quantity of cow bones at dried up groundwater course and only carbonized barley -rice,wheat,barlay,millet are found in Amami Islands in the Gusuku period-, confirmed from the hearth.