cave may give clues to first steps to civilization

[Wayne Harrison]

SASEBO, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

<img src="http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=109&rendTypeId=4" align="left">Ancient pottery, possibly the oldest in the world, was discovered at the Fukui Cave in the early 1960s, located in what is now the Yoshiicho district of Sasebo.

Although the cave was designated a national historic site, no follow-up excavations were conducted for more than four decades. The former town of Yoshii was suffering from financial woes--and authorities never got around to investigating the cave.

However, that is finally changing. With new mergers with nearby towns, the city of Sasebo has now become a hub of archaeological cave sites.

The Sasebo City Board of Education is heading up a new excavation project of the Fukui Cave. "We will attempt to verify the significance of the Fukui Cave and show where it stands in Japan's ancient history," an education board official said. "We will try to incorporate the findings in shaping our future urban development projects."

The Fukui Cave site is located about 15 kilometers north of the city center. It is tucked behind a Shinto shrine.

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