Japan’s 7,300-Year-Old Kikai-Akahoya Eruption Reshaped Jomon Populations
A massive volcanic eruption that struck Japan about 7,300 years ago devastated prehistoric communities, but its aftermath was more complex than scientists once believed. While some populations declined or disappeared in affected areas, others migrated, adapted and continued to grow despite the destruction.
How the Kikai-Akahoya eruption affected ancient Japan
An international research team led by Lund University investigated how the Kikai-Akahoya eruption changed population patterns across Japan. The findings challenge the idea that nearby communities were either completely destroyed or largely unaffected.
Instead, researchers found a combination of population decline, migration, adaptation and growth in the years following the disaster.
When the Kikai-Akahoya volcano erupted beneath the sea about 7,300 years ago, Japan was home to Jomon communities that relied on hunting and gathering.
“This eruption must have been catastrophic, exploding from the ocean floor with little warning, hitting the Japanese archipelago with a powerful earthquake and huge tsunami, covering the landscape with several meters of volcanic ash,” explains lead author Peter Jordan, professor of archaeology at Lund University.
Archaeologists have debated for decades what happened to the people living near the eruption. One theory describes a near-complete apocalypse, with human populations suddenly disappearing from the areas closest to the volcano. Another suggests that some communities survived even relatively close to the disaster.
The new findings indicate that neither explanation fully captures what happened. The eruption severely damaged the ecosystem, forced people to leave their homes and made some areas uninhabitable. However, evidence also points to the remarkable adaptability of survivors, with some populations increasing after the catastrophe.
“The disaster claimed many lives, but survivors appear to have found creative ways to migrate, develop new social relationships, innovate new kinds of economies, and survive and later thrive in new post-disaster conditions,” said lead author Enrico Crema, a professor at the University of Cambridge.
Population changes across Kyushu after the volcanic disaster
Researchers identified major differences in how communities across Japan responded to the eruption.
In southern Kyushu, the Jomon population had already been declining long before the volcano erupted. Relatively few people remained in the region by the time of the disaster, and it was primarily visited by groups of highly mobile foragers.
Northern Kyushu followed a very different pattern. Its population had been growing before the eruption, and that growth continued through the catastrophe and its aftermath, despite widespread and permanent damage to the surrounding ecosystem.
Researchers suggest that people fleeing the hardest-hit areas may have contributed to northern Kyushu’s unexpected population increase.
Evidence also shows that survivors living inland migrated toward the north coast. Marine ecosystems in these areas recovered relatively quickly and provided valuable food resources. By developing new ways to use the ocean’s abundance, these communities may have supported additional population growth.
Volcanic eruption affected communities far from the volcano
One of the most surprising findings was evidence of population changes in parts of Japan far from the eruption site.
These remote regions had experienced population growth before the catastrophe, but that growth stalled or even reversed afterwards. Such widespread demographic effects had not previously been recognized.
Researchers suggest several possible explanations. The eruption may have caused temporary climate changes that affected communities across Japan. Another possibility involves severe wear on the teeth of deer and boar, which were important food sources for the Jomon people. The damage may have resulted from animals grazing in landscapes covered with volcanic ash.
Other volcanic effects on human health and living conditions may also have contributed to the changes.
What the eruption reveals about human resilience
Taken together, the findings suggest that the effects of large-scale natural disasters can extend far beyond the areas facing the most immediate destruction.
According to Jordan, the results show that the consequences of major disasters are rarely simple. Even in the face of overwhelming destruction, human societies can respond in different ways depending on their circumstances and choices.
“This research helps to improve our understanding of the contingent ways in which cultures and societies cope with sudden shocks and catastrophes. Even in the most impossible of situations, survivors and communities have options, however limited. They need to act, make decisions, coordinate, collaborate and find new connections and social networks,” he concludes.
Source: www.sciencedaily.com