The Dynamics of Obsidian Use by the Microblade Industries of the Terminal Late Palaeolithic

Abstract

This paper discusses the procurement and utilization of obsidian by the microblade industries of the terminal Late Palaeolithic in the Chubu and Kanto districts of central Japan at the end of the last glaciation, 18,000-16,000 cal BP. The core of the discussion is based on the source determinations for 4,000 obsidian artifacts from sites in these two regions.The sourcing results identified obsidians from five groups of sources in the Chubu and Kanto districts-Wada-Suwa, Tateshina, Kozushima, Hakone and Amagi-and procurement and utilization of all five sources in the microblade industries in the same districts. Among these sources, both Wada-Suwa and Kozushima obsidians were identified in sites over 200km from the sources, indicating development of wide zones of utilization. Possible strategies for using these sources include direct procurement, trade, and embedding (in seasonal rounds). Which strategy, or strategies, was actually used is not known at this moment.There was a distinct increase in the use of obsidian from the Kozushima source, on an island in the Pacific Ocean, by the microblade industries, compared to earlier phases of the Late Palaeolithic. The microblade-technology revolution for the efficient use of lithic resources and the aggressive development of obsidian sources on distant islands reflect a strategy of the peoples in the Japanese Islands for adapting to the rapid changes in the environment at the end of the Pleistocene.