Basement gallery
What can we see?
The Basement Gallery preserves and exhibits the remains of a 20,000 year old bonfire and a forest in their discovered state. The bonfire remains is in a slightly elevated place, where hundreds of stone tools were found.
 |
It's probably the only place in the world where you can see both the remains left behind by people living during Paleolithic Period and the remains of an ice age forest preserved in the state they were first discovered.
|
What kind of world was it 20,000 years ago?
 |
It was the Paleolithic Period when humans mainly used stone tools and lived by hunting animals and gathering nuts from trees.
|
The Jomon Period followed the Paleolithic Period.
To learn more about the Jyomon Period, go to the "Sendai City Jomon Site Park".
Secrets of the forest
Most of the trees that can be seen in the Basemenｔ Gallery are coniferous, such as the "Tomizawa spruce" (extinct species), with only a few broad‐leaved trees among them.
|
Among the things found in this 20,000 year-old forest were deer droppings and the wings of insects.
|
The discovered animals and plants from this period are demonstrated on the first (ground) floor of the Gallery.
Secrets of the bonfire remains
In a slightly elevated place, small pieces of coalified matter were found in an area ranging from 70 to 80cm in diameter. The coalified matter consisted of small pieces of charcoal from burnt wood, and analysis results indicate that it is the remains of a bonfire that lasted about one night.
Reviving that day
Based on the results of the excavation, something that happened at Tomizawa 20,000 years ago has been revived and put to film.
Showing time
The 10-minute film is shown 10, 30 and 50 minutes past each hour.
Story
One early evening 20,000 years ago, several Paleolithic humans show up.
The spears held by these humans break while hunting.
The Paleolithic humans make new stone tools around the bonfire to repair the spears, and then eat a meal.
After that, they leave to continue hunting.
