Cranial Nonmetrical Analyses of the Yayoi People in the Northwestern Kyushu Area.

Abstract

Incidence data of 22 cranial nonmetric traits were investigated in the Aeneolithic Yayoi people in the northwestern Kyushu area, and compared with those in Yayoi people in the northern Kyushu area, Yayoi people in Yamaguchi and Jomon people. Smith's Mean Measures of Divergence (MMD) were obtained in 8 groups after addition of modern people in the northwestern Kyushu area and others. Based on these data, principal co-ordinate analysis and cluster analysis were performed. The following results were obtained. The characteristics of the Yayoi people in northwestern Kyushu succeeded the characteristics of Neolithic Jomon people, and differ markedly from Yayoi people of continental lineage. Among the 22 traits, the incidences of supraorbital foramen, biasterionic suture vestige, hypoglossal canal bridging, pterygospinous foramen, transverse zygomatic suture vestige and mylohyoid bridging were greatly different between the Yayoi people in northwestern Kyushu and the Yayoi people of continental lineage. In the northwestern Kyushu area, a marked difference in cranial nonmetric traits was found between Yayoi and modern people. Such a difference probably developed because of the hereditary influence of Yayoi people of continental lineage in and after the Protohistoric Kofun period.