Shell Mounds of Omori

The Shell Mounds of Omori is a book by American zoologist Edward Sylvester Morse, published in 1879. Morse's research in Japan from 1877 to 1879 led to his discovery of pottery in a shell mound on the coast at Omori, near Tokyo. This finding was significant as it spurred young Japanese scholars to investigate prehistoric sites methodically.12

Shell mounds, in anthropology, are prehistoric refuse heaps primarily composed of edible mollusk shells mixed with evidence of human occupation. These middens are found globally and developed after the Ice Age. The oldest pottery in regions like Northern Europe and North America is often found in shell mounds. Morse's work contributed to the understanding of Japan's prehistoric Jōmon period, characterized by its distinctive pottery decorated with cord marks.312