Japanese Archaeological Periods
| Japanese Archaeological Periods
|
NOTES:
Time table may vary according to regions. Mentioned below is applicable to central Japan.
Some of sub periods are in original words. The explanation is in the bottom of this page.
Radiocarbon date (C-14) is different from calendar age which is thought to be absolute date.
| Period | Sub Period | Calender Age | C-14 | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palaeolithic | Early | ? | -- | hoax ? |
| Late | 38ka.~ | 35,000 BP~ | Knife-blade Culture 1 | |
| 28ka.~ | 25,000 BP~ | Knife-blade Culture 2 | ||
| 18ka.~ | 15,000 BP~ | Microlith Culture | ||
| Early Sosoki | 16ka.~ | 13,000 BP~ | Diverse cultures emerged | |
| Jomon | Late Sosoki | 13ka.~ | 10,500 BP~ | Pottery territories initiated |
| Soki | 11ka.~ | 9,500 BP~ | ||
| Zenki | 7.2ka.~ | 6,100 BP~ | Peak of sea level | |
| Chuki | 5.5ka.~ | 4,800 BP~ | Demographic Peak of Jomon | |
| Koki | 4.7ka.~ | 4,100 BP~ | ||
| Banki | 3.4ka.~ | 3,100 BP~ | B.C. 4c. is Yayoi Soki in the west | |
| Yayoi | Zenki (Early) | B.C. 3c.~2c. | The spread of Ongagawa type | |
| Chuki (Middle) | B.C. 1c.~A.D.1c. | |||
| Koki (Late) | 2c.~3c. | Late 3c. is Kofun period | ||
| kofun | Zenki (Early) | 4c. | Emergence of Hajiki ware | |
| Chuki (Middle) | 5c. | Emergence of Sueki ware | ||
| Koki (Late) | 6c.~7c. | Unification of Haji types | ||
| Nara/Heian | 8c.~12c. | Ritsuryo regime | ||
| Medieval (Chusei) | 13c.~16c. | Early half of warrior's times | ||
| Proto Modern (Kinsei) | 17c.~Middle of19c. | Later half of warrior's times | ||
| Modern (Kindai) | 1867~ | Industrial revolution | ||
FOOT NOTE:
Jomon period is divided into 6 sub periods, formerly translated as Incipient (Sub-earliest), Earliest, Early, Middle, Late, and Latest. But, for example, Early Jomon is no more early part of Jomon. I prefer "Zenki" instead of "Early". Zenki is a proper noun. Other sub periods are just the same.