Description

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Before the research of quite recent years, the Incipient Jomon pottery vessels of Japan had clear claim to the distinction of being "first in the world," the present work shows that it may be quite some time now before any question of "first" can be resolved, as continuing discoveries show quite comparably early pottery appearing over an increasingly broad front in eastern Asia. This book will be of interest to a broad cross-section of readers: those interested in the history, technology, and functions of pottery; those who will appreciate the attention it pays to ecology, context and process in the innovation and diversification of traditions; those who seek to expand the utility of pottery as a tool in archaeological synthesis and interpretation; and those who pursue specific interests in the cultural history of eastern Asia. It also offers the international community an interesting window on some of the ways in which Russian archaeologists conceptualize their subject matter.