Ancient site · Settlement
Sannai-Maruyama
Sannai-Maruyama, in Aomori, northern Japan, was found in 1992 during survey work for a baseball stadium. It turned out to be one of the largest Jōmon settlements, covering about 40 hectares.
Hunter-gatherers used the site from about 3900 BCE, and it grew into a long-lived village with longhouses, storage pits, more than 500 burial pits and a great building on six chestnut posts, built around 2600 BCE. Finds include clay figurines, baskets and lacquerware. The village ended around 2300 BCE. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan.
- Dates
- c. 3900–2300 BCE
- Still standing
- No, or only traces
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Yes
- Location
- 40.81° N, 140.70° E
How we know
No writing existed; the settlement is dated by radiocarbon and Jōmon pottery styles, from excavations that began in 1992.
Nearby sites
- Ōyu Stone Circles c. 2000–1500 BCE
- Hashihaka Kofun mid-3rd to early 4th century CE (debated)
- Daisenryō Kofun mid-5th century CE
- Bangudae Petroglyphs c. 5000 BCE – 9th century CE (approximate)
- Gwanggaeto Stele erected 414 CE
- Yoshinogari before 400 BCE – 3rd century CE
Related
- Jōmon culture archaeological culture