Early MedievalThe burial mound for Prince Motoi (基王 727-728), the 1st son of Emperor Shōmu, in Nara city is called NaoYama-no-haka (那富山墓). The mound contains four stones on the surface of which images of naked men…

Early MedievalAll the three major pyramids in Japan have a connection with Buddhism: a Buddhist scripture was excavated (now lost) from Kumayama Iseki in Okayama prefecture, Buddhist statues are installed into…

Iron Age and Later Prehistory　The origin of the Kofun burial mound started in the early Yayoi era (around 600 BCE), old burial systems such as pit, coffin, cist or jar burials shifted to rectangular burial mounds with a…

Iron Age and Later Prehistory　Dolmens in Japan distribute mainly in the northwestern Kyūshū islands. Dolmen construction technology seems to have been introduced from the Korean peninsula, which is one of the dolmen’s most…

Early MedievalThe oldest Japanese historical book “Nihon Shoki” (日本書記) vol.27 records the construction of defending fortresses during the reign of Emperor Tenji (天智天皇 626-676 CE) after the defeat at the Battle of…

Neolithic and Bronze AgeJōmon era stone circles in Japan might be roughly classified into 2 types (different opinions exist) : ring-shaped type and sundial-shaped type. Both types distribute in Hokkaidō island and Tōhoku…

Iron Age and Later PrehistoryIn Japan, chambered cairns are classified into varieties of Kofun. There even exist hybrid types: A Kofun made of mixture of soil and stones, A combination keyhole-shaped kofun with a round cairn and…

ResourcesHatsuki Nishio (Aska) has very kindly written us a detailed chronology of Japanese stone monuments, from prehistoric times right up to the present day. He has included details of the various cultures…

DiscoveriesLocated in Southwestern India, Kerala is a state that has many megalithic monuments that are not very well known outside India. Megalithic sites in this area are thought to date to the Iron Age, and…

Other ArchaeologyAs I entered the bar of the famed, but now decrepit, Baron Hotel in downtown Aleppo, it became clear the golden Era of Lawrence of Arabia and Agatha Christie was long past. Lawrence started in the…

Multi-periodOutside Sardinia very few people know of the archaeological treasures hidden in plain view on this large Mediterranean Island. I almost have the impression that the Italian government in Rome is…

Pre-ColumbianLocation, location, location. The watershed of the lower Ohio River was the cradle of the largest city in North America north of Mexico prior to 1800 AD. It was an independent birthplace of accurate…

Iron Age and Later PrehistoryIn my nine day stay in Croatia, I arrived in Zagreb and drove 1715km to my point of departure in Dubrovnik through most of Eastern Croatia and parts of Bosnia. During this time I was able to see more…

Neolithic and Bronze AgeAberdeenshire was re-invented in 1996 when the “old” Grampian Region was split into Aberdeenshire, the City of Aberdeen and Moray. Whilst the new Moray region closely resembled the old Morayshire,…

EnglandWhen reading through books on the history of Cheshire, prehistory is often consigned to a couple of pages or a small chapter at most, and in general historians have led us to believe that nothing of…

EnglandShropshire has a wealth of prehistoric archaeology that is not evident at first glance. The county's ancient history is easily overshadowed by its substantial roles in Roman, Mediaeval and Industrial…

Neolithic and Bronze AgeThe region of Dumfries & Galloway was formed in 1975 and comprises the 3 counties along the Solway Firth, Wigtown, Kirkcudbright and Dumfries. Nowadays the area is mainly used for cattle & sheep…