Origin and Migration of East Asian People, Crops, and Domesticated Animals

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Posted by paleo at 5:10 PM

PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT

● Korea and Japan have historically developed through long-standing and extensive mutual exchange and influence. Based on findings accumulated by scholars in both countries to date, it is evident that key developments—such as the adoption of agriculture, the spread of Bronze Age culture, and the formation of early states—must be understood from a broader, macro-scale perspective involving population movements and the transmission of domestic animals across East Asia. Archaeological evidence clearly indicates that populations, livestock, and elements of ancient culture originating from major centers of ancient civilization—such as the Yellow River and Liao River regions—moved through the Korean Peninsula and eventually reached the Japanese archipelago. ● Despite this growing body of evidence, many aspects of this process remain insufficiently understood. One major reason is the continued separation between the humanities and the natural sciences: archaeology and natural science research often proceed in parallel rather than in close dialogue. Even exchanges among closely related fields—such as anthropology, archaeology, and zooarchaeology—have been limited. In addition, long-standing historical and ethnic sentiments between Korea and Japan have at times hindered fully objective interpretation. As a result, when compared with well-studied cases such as the migration of early agriculturalists in ancient Europe, population dispersals across the Pacific Islands, or human migrations in the New World, the East Asian case remains far less clearly elucidated. ● Above all, ancient cultural and population flows among Korea, China, and Japan have not yet been sufficiently examined from a global historical perspective through systematic comparison with similar processes in other regions. There remains substantial room for further research to situate East Asian developments more clearly within the broader framework of world history. In particular, population movements, the spread of agriculture, and cultural transmission in ancient East Asia should move beyond the traditional nation-centered framework—one that views these processes solely as transfers between Korea, China, and Japan—and instead be reinterpreted within a more comprehensive, transregional, and non-nationalistic perspective that emphasizes the mobility of people, animals, and culture across East Asia as a whole. ● My project addresses these issues by asking how these migrations unfolded across East Asia: through what processes did societies diverge into separate political entities, how did population movements develop during key periods of state formation, and what forms did cultural interaction and mutual influence take among them? With regard to animal domestication, the project further asks: through what routes were domesticated animals introduced into East Asia, how did they spread, and what kinds of social and economic transformations did their adoption bring about in the societies that raised them? ● To address these questions, I draw upon scientific evidence from historical sources, zooarchaeological remains, and genetic studies. My research focuses on multiple animal species—including cattle, horses, pigs, dogs, chickens, and silkworms—that played essential roles in the establishment and maintenance of agricultural communities throughout history. Through a critical synthesis of recent findings in history, archaeology, and anthropology, this project aims to reconstruct human–animal relationships as a key dimension of migration and cultural change. ● The formation of ancient states—traditionally examined primarily from historical and cultural perspectives—must likewise be reconsidered. During these periods, substantial movements of people accompanied the transmission of culture from the Chinese mainland to the Korean Peninsula and onward to the Japanese archipelago. These migrations had profound genetic consequences for populations across East Asia. Rather than approaching these developments solely through historical and archaeological narratives, this project emphasizes the need for a broader, integrative framework that actively incorporates evidence from the natural sciences. ● To achieve this goal, our project brings together researchers from anthropology, archaeology, and zooarchaeology to work collaboratively. We will first collect and analyze existing research findings reported across East Asia, with particular attention to studies from Korea, China, and Japan that remain insufficiently recognized internationally. These materials will be reexamined from a global historical perspective. In parallel, we will conduct comparative analyses with similar cases of population movement and agricultural expansion in other regions of the world, using these examples as reference points to better contextualize East Asian processes within world history.

DETAILS OF THIS PROJECT

● This project examines interregional population movements, the spread of animal husbandry, the transmission of ancient cultures, and the formation of early states across regions extending from the Liao and Yellow River basins of the Chinese mainland through the Korean Peninsula to the Japanese archipelago. Drawing on evidence from history, archaeology, and anthropology, the study focuses on migration and diffusion processes from prehistoric times through the early historic period. Although population movement, animal dispersal, and cultural transmission in East Asia are highly complex phenomena, the primary emphasis of this project is on the trajectories connecting the Chinese mainland, the Korean Peninsula, and the Japanese archipelago during these formative periods. ● To achieve this goal, relevant historical sources from each country will be systematically collected and analyzed, while archaeological and anthropological data—generated through a wide range of recent methodological approaches—will be continuously incorporated and updated throughout the course of the project. ● During the analytical process, the project will also draw upon comparative research from outside East Asia, including studies of population movements across the Pacific Islands, the migration of early agriculturalists in Europe, and the dispersal of populations and cultures in the New World. Such comparative perspectives are essential to ensure that interpretations of population, animal, and cultural movements in East Asia are not constrained by nationalist frameworks but are instead grounded in objective and scientifically robust evidence informed by global parallels.

COLLABORATORS OF THIS PROJECT

Yang Su Yi, PhD. (Director, Gimhae National Museum, South Korea)
Jong Ha Hong, PhD (Research Professor, Institute of Korean Archaeology and Ancient History Kyung Hee University, South Korea)

ORIGIN AND MIGRATION OF KOREAN PEOPLE

Article: 韓国の観点から見た「三重構造モデル」(Anthropological Science: Japanese Series)
Article: 고대 한반도 남부와 일본 열도의 인적 교류에 대한 인류학적 해석의 최신양상. 빛, 고대 거울의 속삭임(국립나주박물관)
Article: Ancient to modern secular changes in the cranial/cephalic index in Korea: historical brachycephalization and recent debrachycephalization(Anatomical Science International)

ANIMALS OF EAST ASIA: DOMESTICATION AND MIGRATION

Article: Anatomical and Histological Analysis on Cattle and Horse Bones of Joseon Period(Ancient Asia)
Article: Genetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA from ancient Equus caballus bones found at archaeological site of Joseon dynasty period capital area(Animal Bioscience)
Article: Mitochondrial DNA analysis of Bos taurus bone collected from ruins of the Joseon Period in a tributary of the Cheonggyecheon creek, South Korea(Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports)
Article: Origin and Diffusion of Equus caballus from the Archaeological and Genetic Perspectives(Anat Biol Anthropol)
Article: 갑골문에 보이는 兕의 역사적 실체에 대한 연구 (방송대 석사학위논문)
Article: 고고학 및 유전학적 연구성과로 본 화북지역 사육 소의 역사적 확산과정(인문학연구)
Article: 동아시아 닭 사육의 확립 과정 및 그 역사적 전개(동양학)
Article: 서울 종로구 공평동 유적 내 유기물 수혈에서 발견된 동물 뼈 검토(해부생물인류학)
Article: 유전학적 연구결과를 중심으로 살펴본 동북아시아 소의 기원과 확산(한국상고사학보)
Article: 朝鮮時代のニワトリの消費様相(動物考古学)
Article: 考古学および遺伝学が究明する東アジアのカイコ飼育の起源と歴史的な拡散過程(動物考古學)
Article: 考古学からみた韓半島における馬飼育様相の変遷(動物考古学)
Meeting Presentation: 일본동물고고학회 - 누에사육

Dong Hoon Shin..

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