Neolithic Postholes

Sannai Maruyama Site
Aomori, Japan

These neolithic postholes are original, even retaining some of the original wood. They are preserved underneath a modern structure equipped with sandbags and drains to assist in their conservation; they aren't allowed to completely dry out, but mustn't be totally flooded either. In order to preserve the site, its reconstructed buildings (previous pages) are located well out of the way of any original archaeological material. The latter is either specially conserved, as here, or else carefully reburied after excavation.