Around 20,000 years ago, the Earth experienced a cooling climate, causing sea levels to drop by 100 meters. The last ice age ended around 12,000 years ago, and the Earth began to warm. Average temperatures gradually rose, reaching 5°C higher than present. Global warming caused melting, resulting in a rise of sea levels of approximately 100 meters. In Japan, this is known as the Jomon Transgression. This climate change had a major impact on human life and culture. During the Middle Jomon period, the population rapidly expanded. During this period, acorns, such as those from konara (Japanese oak), mizunara (Japanese oak), and horse chestnut, became the primary food source.
This is that something interesting happened: the crafting of clay figurines became increasingly sophisticated. Incidentally, there are approximately five clay figurines designated as national treasures. Clay figurines represent the mystical power and nurture of women, and were used as tools in magic and rituals to pray for fertility and childbirth. Rats can eat the bitter chestnuts as they are. The Jomon people viewed rats, which ate their food, as enemies. The viper, which preyed on rats, became a valuable ally for the Jomon. Over time, the viper came to be represented as a messenger of the chestnut spirit. Images of the chestnut spirit wearing a viper mask were depicted on pottery, sublimating it into the form of a snake. The history of the Jomon period shows how climate change altered production systems, transforming people’s lives, beliefs, and culture.
As research on climate change progresses, some researchers are beginning to question conventional theories. In Israel and Jordan, agriculture is believed to have begun approximately 10,000 years ago. Traditional historical research on agriculture has suggested that people began farming to feed growing populations. This theory was based on the idea that people began farming by cultivating wild plants. However, an Israeli researcher has proposed an alternative explanation. The research team believes that collapsed soil filled in the valleys, creating flatlands. The theory goes that frequent landslides in the mountains made hunting difficult, leading humans to turn to agriculture. Landslides and forest fires triggered forest loss, making hunting in the mountains difficult, and people began farming on the narrow, flat land.
Indeed, traces of landslides and forest fires can be found in areas such as Israel and Jordan. The theory goes that agriculture didn’t begin because of population growth, but rather that people began to engage in agriculture because hunting became impossible and the mountains became flat. Farming allows for the production of large amounts of food on a small amount of land. Humans developed ingenuity to overcome these natural abnormalities, creating farmland. The theory goes that humans used their ingenuity to pursue a prosperous life, and developed civilization through farming and the construction of cities. The idea that climate change created a new civilization is refreshing.
