Sannai-Maruyama Site

Sannai-Maruyama Site

三内丸山遺跡
Reconstructed six-pillar structure and long pit-dwelling at Sannai-Maruyama
Sannai-Maruyama site Sannai-Maruyama site Show map of Aomori Prefecture Sannai-Maruyama site Sannai-Maruyama site (Japan) Show map of Japan
Location	Aomori, Japan
Region	Tōhoku region
Coordinates	40°48′37″N 140°41′51″E / 40.81028°N 140.69750°E / 40.81028; 140.69750
Area	40 hectares (400,000 m2; 99 acres)
History
Periods	Early–Middle Jōmon period, Heian period, Muromachi period
Site notes
Excavation dates	1953-1967,1976-1987
Archaeologists	Keio University, others
Public access	Yes (archaeological park)
Website	sannaimaruyama.pref.aomori.jp
Special National Historic Site of Japan Important Cultural Property of Japan

The Sannai-Maruyama Site (三内丸山遺跡, Sannai-Maruyama iseki) is an archaeological site and museum located in the Maruyama and Yasuta neighborhoods to the southwest of central Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, containing the ruins of a very large Jōmon period settlement. The ruins of a 40-hectare (400,000 m²; 99-acre) settlement were discovered in 1992, when Aomori Prefecture started surveying the area for a planned baseball stadium. Archaeologists have used this site to further their understanding of the transition to sedentism and the life of the Jōmon people. Excavation has led to the discovery of storage pits, above ground storage and long houses. These findings demonstrate a change in the structure of the community, architecture, and organizational behaviors of these people. Because of the extensive information and importance, this site was designated as a Special National Historical Site of Japan in 2000.^[1], and a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan collection in 2021. Today the public can visit the site, its various reconstructions of Jōmon structures, and a museum that displays and houses artifacts collected on the site, which have collectively been designated an Important Cultural Property^[2]