18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Jomon Ruins Adding to UNESCO World Heritage List

An international advisory panel has recommended that a group of ruins from the ancient Jomon period in northern Japan is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site, according to officials from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs on Wednesday.

 Based on the recommendation by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, or ICOMOS, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is expected to decide the registration at an online meeting in July.

The Jomon archaeological sites in the Hokkaido and northern Tohoku regions would be Japan’s 20th cultural property on the World Heritage list, after the Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun ancient tumulus clusters in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, were inscribed in 2019.


The Jomon ruins are 17 sites in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and the northeastern prefectures of Aomori, Iwate and Akita, comprising settlement ruins, stone circles, and a cemetery.


 They include the Sannai-Maruyama site in the city of Aomori, the Oyu Kanjo Resseki site in Kazuno, Akita, the Kitakogane Kaizuka shell mound in Date, Hokkaido, and the Goshono site in Ichinohe, Iwate.

The Sannai-Maruyama site

What is the Jomon Culture?

The Jomon culture emerged around 15,000 years ago and was characterized by the use of pottery throughout the Japanese Archipelago, including Hokkaido.

Aside from pottery, the Jomons used a variety of tools. Many tools were invented, including chipped stone axes, bows and arrows, fish hooks, and harpoons, and hunting and fishing techniques were refined. Instead of the nomadic lifestyle they had prior to the Paleolithic culture, the Jomon people built pit dwellings by digging holes in the ground and settled down.

 The Oyu Kanjo Resseki site

The Jomon culture has long been regarded as a unique culture centered on hunting, fishing, and gathering that has lasted over 15,000 years.

In the Jomon culture, authentic agriculture was not practiced, and people settled in one location while hunting, fishing, and gathering, as well as conserving nature. There are no traces of battles, such as moats and shields surrounding village communities, and it was known that the people cared for the elderly and children, resulting in a stable society. The Jomon culture had continued approximately 10,000 years, the only culture to have continued as long in the world.

The Jomon culture, which spread across the Japanese Archipelago, was not a “delayed” culture with no agriculture, but rather a “mature” culture that included the development of hunting, fishing, and gathering habits in harmony with nature.

Source: JIJI PRESS

Related Articles

Evidence of Medieval Plague Victims Buried With “Significant Care” Found

23 June 2021

23 June 2021

The Black Death, which killed between 40 and 60% of Europe’s population in the mid-14th century, was a devastating epidemic...

In the city of Gods and Goddesses Magnesia, Zeus Temple’s entrance gate found

26 September 2021

26 September 2021

During an excavation in the ancient city of Magnesia, located in the Ortaklar district of Germencik in Turkey’s Aegean province...

8,000-year-old Musical Instrument found in northwest Turkey

4 July 2021

4 July 2021

Archaeologists in northwestern Turkey’s Bilecik on Tuesday discovered a musical instrument that dates back to an estimated 8,000 years. During...

5000-year-old female figurines found in a Ukrainian cave

15 May 2023

15 May 2023

Archaeologists discovered five clay female figurines hidden inside a hole in a wall in Verteba Cave, in the Borshchiv Region...

A rare 3,300-year-old wooden yoke found in northern Italy

30 October 2023

30 October 2023

After eight years of complex excavation, recovery, and restoration, a rare 3,300-year-old wooden yoke discovered in a Late Bronze Age...

A 1600-year-old writing set was unearthed in the city of Bathonea, which has the oldest ancient port in Istanbul

21 August 2022

21 August 2022

During the Istanbul Bathonea excavations, a 1600-year-old writing set containing a miniature vessel, a bone writing pen, and an inkwell,...

Archaeologists Uncovered a Terracotta Commander and Warriors at the Mausoleum of China’s First Emperor

12 January 2025

12 January 2025

Archaeologists have unearthed a rare 2,000-year-old statue depicting a high-ranking military commander at the famous Terracotta Army site in China:...

Stone Age Loved to Dance to the Rhythm of the Elk Tooth Rattles

4 June 2021

4 June 2021

Thousands of years ago, people danced frequently and to the rhythm. This is the conclusion of the discovery of elk...

Human remains found at prison sewer site are 4,500 years old in East Yorkshire

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

Archaeologists investigating the site of a new sewer to serve a jail being built at Full Sutton in East Yorkshire,...

5,500-year-old Menhir discovered in Portugal

28 August 2023

28 August 2023

A 5,500-year-old (that is around 3500 BC) menhir has been discovered in the town of São Brás de Alportel in...

Papal bull discovered in a former cemetery dated to the 14th century

10 May 2023

10 May 2023

A medieval bull found in 2021 in Budzistów village (Kołobrzeg district), Poland has been restored and placed on display in...

Significant Archaeological Discovery on Failaka Island: Hellenistic Courtyard and Building Unearthed

17 February 2025

17 February 2025

The National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) has announced a remarkable archaeological find on Failaka Island, revealing a...

An ancient “fridge” have uncovered at the Roman legionary fortress of Novae, Bulgaria

30 September 2022

30 September 2022

Polish archaeologists, during excavations at the Roman legionnaires’ camp in Novae, discovered a container that could be described as an...

Roman Era Mosaic Unearthed in Illegal Excavation Near Zile Castle

13 May 2025

13 May 2025

A stunning mosaic has been unearthed during an illegal excavation near Zile Castle, located in the Tokat province of Türkiye,...

The place where John the Baptist was martyred

4 February 2022

4 February 2022

The infamous birthday banquet of Herod Antipas, which culminated in the beheading of St John the Baptist — a preacher...