Evolution of social complexity during the Shellmidden Period, the Central Ryukyus (Amami and Okinawa Archipelagos), Japan: Not simply simple, but not necessarily complex

Abstract

Stratified societies in the form of chiefdoms emerged during the Gusuku Period (ca. late eleventh–fifteenth centuries) in the Central Ryukyus (Amami and Okinawa Archipelagos), Japan. They competed among themselves, and by the fifteenth century, the Ryukyu Kingdom had been established. In contrast, the social organization of the Shellmidden Period (ca. 7,000–1,000 BP), comprising hunter-gatherer-fishers (HGF), has been considered primarily egalitarian. Here we examine the development of social organizations during the Shellmidden Period finding that for the first several thousand years, populations were both mobile and egalitarian. However, more complex societies evolved during the Early 5 phase of the Early Shellmidden Period. The social organizations that developed between Early 5 and the end of the Shellmidden Period explicitly illustrate the cyclical nature or sawtooth-like pattern of social evolution, as we note repeated alternations between egalitarian and more complex societal forms, not all of which evolved into chiefdoms.

Keywords:

• Cyclical social organization
• hunter-gatherer-fishers
• Ryukyu Archipelago
• Sawtooth like pattern
• social evolution

Acknowledgements

Mitsuru Azama drafted Figure 1. Kurozumi Taiji provided the common English names for shellfish mentioned in the text. Discussion with Timothy Earle stimulated and encouraged the completion of this paper. Figures 3 and 4 were provided by the Okinawa Prefectural Archaeological Center, Figure 7 by the Ginowan City Board of Education, Figure 8 by T. Shinzato, and Figure 9 by the Ie Village Board of Education. The editor of JICA, Scott M. Fitzpatrick, has edited the final draft and provided valuable comments on the paper. We are grateful for their kindness and support. Finally, we would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers whose comments improved the original draft.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This study was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (grant # 21101005), a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (grant # 21H04362), and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (grant # 18K01068), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan.