Ritual practices and social organisation at the Middle Yayoi culture settlement site of Maenakanishi, eastern Japan

Combined archaeobotanical and archaeological data from Middle Yayoi (fourth century bce –first century ce ) cultural layers of the Maenakanishi site (36°08′55″ N, 139°24′08″ E) in northern Saitama Prefecture indicate that rice was less significant as everyday food, but played an important role in ritual practices and in strengthening social stratification at the studied settlement site. The results further suggest that the crop was used in...