| Abstract: |
In November 2000, archaeological survey was conducted along a 3 km coastal section in US Marine Corps Camp Kinser (Makiminato Service Area) in Urasoe City, southern Okinawa. This survey, coupled with documentary research, revealed the presence of 21 cultural properties. These include 2 late prehistoric buried shell midden deposits directly behind the beach, 7 historic period tomb complexes, 3 tomb cave complexes, and buried deposits of 3 historic villages. Also identified, in the limestone escarpment behind the coastal plain, were the caves and tunnels of a World War II Japanese defensive system that played a critical role in one of the battles of the American campaign to capture the island. Through the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques and software, site distribution within the project area was mapped by site type and time period in relation to land forms, soil types, and other variables. Data from pre-WW II land use studies and maps, which provide extensive detail on the distribution of houses, fields, tombs, and other elements of the Okinawan cultural system, were entered into the GIS to allow evaluation of the extent to which the currently known sites reflect the traditional pattern, the degree of past cultural resource destruction, and the potential for further subsurface deposits in particular areas. Variations in site location over time reflect a pattern of change from an emphasis on reef resources to increasing dependence on agricultural crops.
|
