Early Ryukyu in History
A New Model
Book •
Gregory Smits's 'Early Ryukyu in History: A New Model' reassesses the islands’ deep past by integrating archaeological findings, anthropological data, and documentary evidence to propose a revised timeline of settlement and cultural change.
The book argues against the idea of an unbroken indigenous continuity, showing multiple migrations and demographic shifts, including significant Japonic and Korean influences.
Smits details the emergence of maritime networks and the processes leading to centralized polities in the medieval period.
The work challenges older narratives derived from official Ryukyuan histories and emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary evidence.
It serves as a corrective foundation for broader syntheses of Ryukyuan history.
The book argues against the idea of an unbroken indigenous continuity, showing multiple migrations and demographic shifts, including significant Japonic and Korean influences.
Smits details the emergence of maritime networks and the processes leading to centralized polities in the medieval period.
The work challenges older narratives derived from official Ryukyuan histories and emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary evidence.
It serves as a corrective foundation for broader syntheses of Ryukyuan history.
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Gregory Smits
Gregory Smits, "The Ryukyu Islands: A New History from the Stone Age to the Present" (U Chicago Press, 2026)
