The Megaliths of Korea and Japan: An Analysis of Origins and Functions

This publication focuses on the origins and peculiarities of Neolithic and Bronze Age megaliths in the marginal areas of Eurasia, a topic infrequently addressed in Russian scholarship. The objective of this study is to describe the phenomenon of megalithism in Korea and the adjacent areas of Japan using archaeological evidence and science-based methods. In Korea, the megalithic sites, more than 30 thousand in number, concentrate in the west and south, along the estuaries of major rivers fl owing into the Yellow and East China Seas. Most dolmens in Korea date to the Bronze Age and served as burial structures. In Japan, the megaliths belong to two traditions of different origin. One is local, originating from the Middle Jomon, the other was introduced from Korea. Most specialists attribute dolmens with burials to the Yayoi culture (3d century BC to 3d century AD). They are distributed on Kyushu Island (prefectures of Fukuoka, Nagasaki, and Saga) and in the western and central parts of Honshu Island. The analysis of megaliths in both regions suggests that their appearance and spread were only partly related to farming economy. The principal factors were social changes such as the emergence of tribal elites and the redistribution of territories.