Sneak Peek | Marine Predators in Prehistoric Japan's Worldview

Prehistoric shell midden sites along the Japanese coasts provide a treasure trove of information for archaeologists. The conditions are excellent for the preservation of organic materials, such as artefacts, animals, and plants that include subsistence resources, as well as buried human remains. The data from excavations offers a peek into the fascinating life of prehistoric fishermen, including their tragedies and perils.  
  
This presentation focuses on two of the potentially most dangerous marine species: sharks and the cone sea snail, a small but highly venomous invertebrate. Their representation in material culture indicates that both species also played an important symbolic role. Shark teeth (fossilized teeth of megalodons and other contemporaneous species) were fashioned into amulets and ritual adornments. Perhaps surprisingly, so were cone snail shells. Archaeology tells us more about their role in prehistoric life and society—even if the lack of written texts prevents us from grasping their full metaphysical meaning. 
 
This program is part of the monthly lunchtime series Sneak Peek, where staff members and outside scholars share personal perspectives and new research related to the collections of the National Museum of Asian Art. 
 
Ilona Bausch specializes in the archaeology, art, and heritage of Japan and East Asia, focusing particularly on the study of prehistory: trade, social interaction, rituals, and worldview among the people of the Jōmon period (14,000–300 BCE) in the Japanese archipelago and contemporaneous societies on the continent.  

Since receiving her PhD from Durham University (UK, 2005), she has taught at Leiden University (Netherlands), Tokyo University (Japan), and Heidelberg University (Germany). Currently, she is affiliated with the Leiden Institute of Area Studies at Leiden University and is preparing a monograph about the social and ritual role of jade since prehistory around the world. 
Image: Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川国芳 (1798–1861); Tametomo's Ten Heroic Deeds (detail); Japan, ca. 1847–50; print; ink and color on paper; National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, The Anne van Biema Collection, S2004.3.185