Child Mortuary Practices of the Ancient Jomon of Japan (2021)

Burial practices can provide theoretically rich insight into an ancient culture, especially ones with no written text. The burial of children reflects the evolution of society and their role within it. In this study, covering the Jōmon period in Japan (roughly 11,000 to 300 BCE), I surveyed patterns of change in burial practices, including common grave goods, that were associated with children. Comparisons were made to adult burials and mortuary practices in subsequent eras. Data gathering required translations, from Japanese to English, followed by organization of information to compare the burial types and grave goods across the period.