AriPekka Junno (Stockholm): "Pots, bones, and an erupting volcano – preliminary results and thoughts after a year of field work in Japan".

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Abstract
Major volcanic eruptions are devastating natural disasters that have periodically impacted human history and global climate. Renewed efforts are focused on understanding both immediate impact, as well as social vulnerability and cultural transformation during large-scale volcanic events. This project investigates human adaptation and resilience in the aftermath of the Kikai-Akahoya (K-Ah) volcanic supereruption. K-Ah is known as the strongest volcanic eruption of the past 12.000 years in Japan, which occurred c. 7300 years ago in Southern Kyushu. K-Ah has traditionally been thought to have resulted in widespread devastation in the region, including a cultural hiatus and ecological collapse that were followed by a slow and gradual population and ecosystem recovery in a span of 1000 years. Recent archaeological evidence confirms, however, that some local groups of Jomon hunter-gatherers managed to survive the disaster in some regional “pockets” close to the eruptive epicenter. This surprising finding demonstrates how resilient past hunter-gatherer lifeways have likely been, and how much remains to be discovered about their ability to overcome natural disasters. To better understand how K-Ah impacted the local cultures, this study collects and analyzes human and animal skeletal remains, and and pottery from a number of key sites around the ancient disaster zones. These materials will be investigated for stable isotope composition and food remains, which will give important insights into what kinds of adaptations the disaster caused in the local diet, economy and demographics. We call this study approach ‘Disaster Archaeology’, which is an emerging research field that aims to advance our understanding of the impacts and consequences that major natural disasters had on prehistoric cultures, and the evolution of humans. Better knowledge of this should also allow us to better prepare for upcoming disasters, and plan how to minimize their impact on future societies.