Human use of marine shells from Late Pleistocene layers of Sakitari-do cave site, Nanjo city, Okinawa prefecture

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  • 沖縄県南城市サキタリ洞遺跡出土の後期更新世の海産貝類と人類との関わり
  • オキナワケン ナンジョウシ サキタリドウ イセキ シュツド ノ コウキ コウシン セイ ノ カイサン カイルイ ト ジンルイ ト ノ カカワリ

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Abstract

Our 2012–2013 excavation at the Trench I of the Sakitari-do cave site, Nanjo city, Okinawa, yielded two human remains (an isolated molar and a navicular) and 39 seashell fragments from the Layer II dated to 16400–19300 yrBP. Because, the cave was about 150 m above sea level and 5–6 km away from the coast during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), these seashells must have been brought in by people. Among these shells, 7 of 22 Veneridae (Callista chinensis and Meretrix sp. cf. lusoria) valve fragments show sector forms with their longer arcs on the ventral sides of the shells and the shorter arcs on the dorsal sides. Retouches on the edges are observed in most of them. Moreover, dorso-ventrally oriented linear scars and abrasion are present on the shorter arcs in some of them. The uniformity in shape and other characteristics indicate that at least a part of these Veneridae valve fragments were manufactured by humans as implements. Linear scars and wearing are also observed on Septifer bilocularis specimens. Two specimens of “Dentalium” spp., an uneatable marine shellfish, may have been used as beads although obvious traces of artificial modification are lacking on them. These findings indicate that human activities at the cave go back at least to the LGM.

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