The main stages of the ancient history of Japan (materials for educational course "Archaeology of overseas Asia")

This review of the main publications about the problems of Japanese archaeology (from Paleolithic epoch up to the period of Kofun culture) represents teaching materials for students with specialty in archaeology (within the course «Archaeology of overseas Asia») and with specialty in oriental studies (within the course «History and culture of Japan»). Taking into account the main task of this publication – namely, support for educational process – authors of this review, first of all, engaged most authoritative summarizing editions, because their conceptions and conclusions passed through necessary approbation and were maintained by the greater part of academic community. The main problems under discussion in Japanese archaeology are as follows: chronology of the first inhabitation of Archipelago; classification of the stone implements according technologies of production and ways of usage; early ceramics in the context of Northeast Asian archaeology; the origin of Ainu and their predecessors; beginning of agriculture and development of bronze and iron metallurgy; semantics of dogu and haniva figurines; characteristics of megalithic monuments; attribution of «horse-rider culture»; correlation between ethno-linguistic and archaeological data; using of historical records for interpretation of excavated relics; the routes of ancient migrations etc. As a result, this review of ancient past of Japan obviously demonstrates that so called isolation of insular population had quiet relative character. During thousands and thousands years, islanders came into contacts with bearers of different cultures of Eurasian mainland and island part of it, as well. The result of these permanent cultural exchanges served as foundation for creation of Japanese ethnos. In certain periods the contacts were more intensive along Northern, or Southern routes; the most significant way went through Korean Peninsula. For Siberian archaeologists the matter of special interest is represented by the finds of early ceramics on Honshu and in East Amur area; by analogies between cultures of Archipelago and Maritime regions of Russia (including Sakhalin and Kuril Islands) in Early Iron Age; by similarities between «Old-kurgans’ culture» at Japan and those in Central Asia. In selection of published materials for this review the preference was given to those available for teachers and students in the universities’ libraries or through free Internet access (published mostly in Russian and English as working languages).