from c. 14,000 BCEReputable sourceWell documented
The Jōmon Period: The First Japanese
On the timeline · around from c. 14,000 BCE · Ancient Japan
What happened
The earliest inhabitants of the Japanese islands developed one of the world's oldest known pottery cultures, named Jōmon ('cord-marked') for the patterns pressed into their vessels. These hunter-gatherers and fishers lived in settled villages, made elaborate clay figurines, and sustained their way of life for more than ten thousand years.
Why it matters
Jōmon pottery is among the oldest in the world, and the culture's remarkable longevity and complexity — sedentary life without full-scale agriculture — laid the deep foundations of Japanese prehistory.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. Jomon Period · Reputable source