Earthenware pieces of about 20,000 years ago and the world's oldest（世界最古となる約２万年前の土器片）

Was found in the cave of Jiangxi, China, and a piece of pottery about 20,000 years ago and the world's oldest, the research team, such as Peking and the United States has announced 29 dates in the U.S. science journal Science. One thousand two one thousand to three years old that had been found in many parts of East Asia, including Japan, so far, from the oldest pottery class.

Fragments of pottery excavated from the cave is more than 280. Speculate that there are many traces of burnt, "the ancestor of modern humans, or that was not used to cooking" team is.

The team, a closer look at the geological debris is found, the analysis of carbon, such as animal bones and charcoal that is included in the stratum. Old stratum years ago concluded that 19,000 to 20,000 that are ice ages.

Debris is seen as part of the border, such as earthenware, about 0.7 to 1.2 cm thickness. Or debris was also arranged to smooth the surface, or with a pattern in the muscle.

It is believed that mankind is the invention of pottery, and made ​​possible as well as aging stockpile of food and alcohol. Team has seen but to adapt to the harsh climate of the ice age, and played an important role in earthenware of these, have been "hunting and gathering in East Asia, indicating that began early in about 10,000 years from farming and".

The earliest pottery, fragments of about 16,000 years ago were excavated (Yamamoto mark) in the ruins of one yuan Ohirasan Aomori Prefecture in Japan. 20,000 years ago, during the Ice Age to make earthenware Moreover, I is not had a fire to cook. I can not sleep is likely the origin of mankind, and give more than a passing thought to.



世界最古となる約２万年前の土器片を、中国・江西省の洞窟遺跡で発見したと、北京大や米国などの研究チームが29日付の米科学誌サイエンスに発表した。これまで日本を含む東アジア各地で見つかっていた、最古級の土器より２千～３千年古いという。
洞窟からは280個以上の土器の破片が出土。多くに焦げた跡があり、チームは「現生人類の祖先が、料理に使ったのではないか」と推測している。
チームは、破片が見つかった地層を詳しく調べ、地層に含まれる動物の骨や炭などの炭素を解析。古い地層は氷河期とされる１万９千～２万年前と結論付けた。
破片は土器の縁の部分などとみられ、厚さ0.7～1.2センチ程度。表面を滑らかに整えたり、筋で模様をつけたりした破片もあった。
人類は土器の発明により、食料の備蓄やアルコールの熟成なども可能になったと考えられている。チームは、氷河期の厳しい気候に適応するのに、これらの土器が重要な役割を果たしたとみており、「東アジアの狩猟採集は、農耕より１万年ぐらい早く始まったことを示す」としている。
日本で最古の土器は、青森県の大平山元（おおだいやまもと）１遺跡で出土した約１万６千年前の破片。2万年前に、しかも氷河期に土器を作り、火を起こし料理をしていたんですね。人類の起源に、思いを馳せると眠れなくなりそうですね。