Skulls of Ubayama Shell-mounds. I. Morphological Description and Univariate Comparison.

Abstract

Both metric and non-metric morphological data have been obtained for skull samples from the Ubayama shell-mounds, a rich source of archeological specimens from the Jomon period in the Kanto district of Japan. All the useable skull specimens were measured, and these data were compared to those from other sites, Tsukumo, Yoshiko, etc. Some regional differences were found, notably in the height and curvature of the cranial vault, and orbital and mandibular configuration, but temporal differences between Middle and Late Jomon times remain obscure, at least in the Ubayama samples. Further investigations will be necessary to clarify the causative factors for the variations in features.