National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) Robots Unearth 10,000-Year-Old Pottery in Lake Biwa

Key facts

• Robotic sensors discovered a nearly intact pottery vessel more than 10,000 years old resting upright in the silt near Tsuzuraozaki underwater ruins.
• The vessel measures about 25 centimeters tall with a tapering pointed base and engraved motifs characteristic of early Jomon craft traditions.
• Specialists attribute the vessel to either the Jinguji-style or the Konami Upper-layer tradition between 11,000 and 10,500 years ago.
• The survey used a next-generation 3-D scanning system with four synchronized cameras at 64 meters deep.
• NMRI transformed deep-sea robotics including AUVs with high-resolution sonar into tools for inland archaeology.
• Lake Biwa’s deep basins create still pockets with minimal sediment accumulation while tectonic activity keeps the lakebed exposed preserving objects.