Nonmetric morphological characters of deciduous teeth in Japan: diachronic evidence of the past 4000 years

The efficiency of nonmetric (discrete) characters of the deciduous dentition in assessing affinities of human populations was investigated in seven population samples from western Japan. The Neolithic Jomon (the Late and Latest stages, 4000–2300 BP ), the Aeneolithic Yayoi (2300–1700 BP , divided into materials from the Tanegashima Island and other western Japan materials), the protohistoric Kofun (1700–1300 BP ), the medieval Kamakura & Muromachi (800–400 BP ), the early modern Edo (400–130 BP ) and modern Japanese were compared for 17 traits. From the analyses of univariate and multivariate comparisons, close affinities between the Jomon and the Tanegashima Yayoi populations and between the other Yayoi, Kofun, Medieval, Edo and modern Japanese populations were indicated. This result coincided with the results obtained from the investigations of permanent dentition. The Jomon and Tanegashima Yayoi populations showed high frequencies of middle trigonid crest and cusp 6, while the other Yayoi and post‐Yayoi Japanese populations expressed high frequencies of shovelling, cusp 7 and distal trigonid crest. As simple tooth crowns are characteristic of their permanent teeth, the traits abounding in the Jomon and the Tanegashima Yayoi deciduous dentition were unique to their deciduous dentition. Different gene frequencies in juveniles and adults, or a heavy functional demand on their deciduous teeth, may be responsible for this difference. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rice archaeological remains and the possibility of DNA archaeology: examples from Yayoi and Heian periods of Northern Japan

Japanese rice cultivation in paddy fields has 2,400∼3,000 years of history. Most of modern Japanese rice varieties are classified as Temperate-japonica (Tm-J). Few landraces are recognized as Tropical-japonica (Tr-J) only in southwestern Japan. However, ancient DNA studies and phytolith analysis suggest that Tr-J strains were more popular in the past than now. Maekawa is a complex archaeological site composed of paddies dated from the Yayoi (2,100 years BP) to the Heian (1,100 years BP) periods. Phytolith analysis indicates that intensive rice cultivation was practiced in both periods, but there was no cultivation in the intervening period. Morphological features of bulliform phytoliths suggest that Tr-J was cultivated during both periods. Locally, rice cultivation during the Heian period was brought to a close by a flood event, in which immature rice plants were pulled down and buried in silt to be preserved in a quasi-carbonized/ waterlogged state. Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of the carbonized plant culm from Heian Maekawa recovered chloroplast DNA sequences of the 6C7A plastid subtype, which is common to both Tr-J and Tm-J, whereas two plastid subtypes, such as 6C7A and also 7C6A, were found in aDNA of carbonized grains from the Tareyanagi site of the Yayoi period. The latter plastid subtype was specific only to Tr-J. In order to better characterize the past rice populations, modern landraces collected in the local area were classified with morphophysiological traits. Some of the landraces were found to carry several traits of Tr-J, including bulliform phytolith types, but mixed with Tm-J traits. Based on the discontinuous distribution of rice phytoliths between the Yayoi and the Heian period, the early introduction of rice cultivation may have been discontinuous and locally reintroduced after a ∼1,000-year hiatus, but with a genetically different rice population. Such populations were composed from Tr-J like strains as shown by landraces but with reduced diversity in plastid types. Through such changes, since the Yayoi era, Tr-J was largely replaced by Tm-J, although ancient Tr-J continued to participate in the genetic makeup of later rice populations and may have aided the local adaptation of introduced Tm-J.     

External Auditory Exostoses and its Relationship to Prehistoric Abalone Harvesting on Santa Rosa Island,California

Bioarchaeological research among prehistoric Pacific Coast populations has shown that external auditory exostoses (EAE) are found in high frequencies. On California's northern Channel Islands archaeological research has demonstrated that there was an intense exploitation of red abalone (Haliotis rufescens), particularly between ~8000 and 3500 years ago. If the Island Chumash were free‐diving for red abalone in subtidal waters, EAE should be prevalent in prehistoric populations from Santa Rosa Island. We recorded the presence or absence, number, side and severity of EAE growths for 207 adult individuals from three time periods on Santa Rosa Island. Our results show that ~11% of the total population was affected, including 22.5% of males and ~3.4% of females. The incidence among females increases from 0% in the Early period, to 2.6% in the Middle period, and 6.8% in the Late period. Overall these are lower rates than those reported for other Channel Island and Pacific Coast sites. Given the relatively low percentage of Santa Rosa Islanders affected with EAE, red abalones may have been harvested primarily in shallow waters rather than the deeper subtidal zone. Our data suggest that gender differences in food procurement activities existed on Santa Rosa Island throughout prehistory, congruent with the argument that EAE is an activity‐induced pathology that occurs with prolonged exposure to cold water and wind conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changes in shell gathering in an early agricultural society at the head of Ise Bay,Japan

We examined changes in shell gathering in an early agricultural society at the head of Ise Bay, Japan based on the analysis of almost 20,000 individual shell remains from four coastal settlements. We analyzed historical changes in the composition and size range of the shell species Meretrix lusoria. The most common species went from Crassostrea gigas in the early Middle Yayoi period (about 400–350BC) to M. lusoria in the mid-Middle Yayoi period (about 320–200BC). It is possible that the seacoast tideland, an environment suitable for C. gigas, was buried in sediment from the rivers and thereby transformed into muddy sand bottoms, an environment more suitable for M. lusoria. We also analyzed historical changes in the size range of M. lusoria. The mean size of M. lusoria increased significantly from the early Final Jomon (about 1250–1000BC) to the late Early Yayoi (about 500–400BC), from the late Early Yayoi to the early Middle Yayoi, and from the early to the mid-Middle Yayoi periods. Evidence suggests that during the Yayoi period, the demand for shells decreased and therefore, the pressure to collect M. lusoria also decreased. We concluded that the larger specimens of M. lusoria were collected selectively.     

关于中日钓鱼岛争端中"美国因素"的历史考察

文章对中日钓鱼岛争端中的“美国因素”进行了系统考察。二战后美国的日本政策与钓鱼岛问题的产生、发展及变化有着密切联系。在冷战的国际背景下,美国政府通过托管琉球与“第27号令”将中国钓鱼岛纳入其托管之下。20世纪70年代初美国又将钓鱼岛的“施政权”作为冲绳的一部分“归还”给日本,为中日钓鱼岛争端打下“楔子”。冷战结束以来,美国政府在钓鱼岛主权归属上由“模糊中立”到当今小布什政府的“小心介入”,反映了美国政府在钓鱼岛问题立场上的变化。     

A Test of Ideal Free Distribution Predictions Using Targeted Survey and Excavation on California’s Northern Channel Islands

Using targeted survey, excavation, and radiocarbon dating, we assess the extent to which human settlement patterns on California’s northern Channel Islands fit predictions arising from the ideal free distribution (IFD): (1) people first established and expanded permanent settlements in the regions ranked high for environmental resource suitability; (2) as population grew, they settled in progressively lower ranked habitats; and (3) changes in the archaeological record associated with high population levels such as increases in faunal diversity and evenness in high-ranked habitats are coincident with the expansion to other areas. On Santa Rosa Island, the early permanent settlements were located in both high- and middle-ranked locations, with the most extensive settlement at the highest ranked locations and only isolated sites elsewhere. Settlement at a low-ranked habitat was confined to the late Holocene (after 3600 cal BP). Drought influenced the relative rank of different locations, which is an example of climate adding a temporal dimension to the model that episodically stimulated population movement and habitat abandonment. Because the IFD includes a wide range of cultural and environmental variables, it has the potential to be a central model for guiding archaeological analysis and targeted field research.     

Red abalone collecting and marine water temperature during the Middle Holocene occupation of Santa Cruz Island,California

Oxygen isotope values derived from prehistoric mussel (Mytilus californianus) shell calcite are used to determine whether sea-surface temperatures in the vicinity of the Punta Arena site (CA-SCRI-109) on Santa Cruz Island, California, were cooler than present between 6300 and 5300 cal BP. This site and others in the western sector of the island dating to this period are distinctive because of the presence of large red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) shells, a species that historically has been subtidal around Santa Cruz and the other northern Channel Islands. Comparison of temperature values derived from archaeological shells with those from modern mussel shells, along with water temperatures derived from satellites, indicates that waters were cooler during the 6300 to 5300 cal BP period. These results are consistent with a previous study and support the interpretation that collection of red abalone during the 6300–5300 cal BP period was partly the result of cooler water temperatures that made this large mollusk more available to foragers in the intertidal or shallow subtidal zone.     

Genetic relationships based on discrete dental traits: Basketmaker II and Mimbres

Investigations of the relationships between culture and biology among prehistoric populations of the southwestern United States can enhance our reconstruction of social interactions. The present study analyses the permanent dentition of Basketmaker II and Mimbres individuals from multiple sites using the Arizona State University dental anthropology system, and compares them with a regional sample. Discrete dental trait analysis provides a useful means for assessing the degree of genetic relatedness between populations when large comparative samples are available. Both in situ cultural change and population replacement have been posited as the dominant mechanism acting on Basketmaker and early Puebloan groups. We examine the relationship of these populations to probable Uto‐Aztecan speakers in light of the Uto‐Aztecan farmer migration hypothesis. The Basketmaker II complex, traditionally recognised as a distinct cultural unit, exhibits considerable population heterogeneity. Western Basketmakers appear to share biological ties with Uto‐Aztecan speakers, while Eastern Basketmakers do not, as predicted by the model. The relationship of the Mimbres to probable Uto‐Aztecan speakers is less clear because the Mimbres show only weak affinities to northern Mexican populations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evidence for temporal and social differences in cranial dimensions in Edo‐period Japanese

This study examined the craniometric traits of the Edo‐period (AD1603–1867) human skeletons from the Hitotsubashi site in Tokyo, compared them with temporally and socially various populations, and attempted to detect the morphological differentiation patterns that the Edo‐period Japanese exhibited over time and under those social/environmental conditions. The materials measured here were the townsmen's crania from the Hitotsubashi site, which were dated back to the early half of the Edo period. The observations revealed that the Hitotsubashi samples were more dolichocephalic than any other Edo series and were different from subsequent Edo series in terms of larger maximum cranial length and smaller maximum cranial breadth. The Hitotsubashi samples were definitely in contrast with those of Tentokuji and Shirogane, both of which included a samurai (warrior) class of the late to final Edo period and exhibited the most brachycephalic crania. It is reasonable to assume that the temporal and social situations were possibly related to the observed cranial variation and that the temporal changes in cranial dimensions in pre‐modern Japan might have reflected the nutritional and environmental conditions. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toddlers in Transition: Linear Enamel Hypoplasias in the Hadza of Tanzania

Bioarchaeologists often use linear enamel hypoplasias (LEH) as a proxy for systemic physiological stress in prehistoric populations. Increased incidences of LEH have been observed in many cases associated with rapid social or environmental changes, such as with the Neolithic transition and agricultural intensification. Still, there have yet to be studies published of LEH incidence among living peoples in the process of transitioning from foraging to a farming economy. It is important to document LEH occurrence in living groups with known subsistence strategies to better contextualise interpretations of bioarchaeological populations. Here, we present LEH data for a sample of the Hadza of Tanzania. We compare LEH incidence and frequency on the permanent anterior teeth of individuals who spent their infancy and early childhood (i) in the bush consuming wild foods; (ii) in the village with a weaning diet dominated by domestic cereals; and (iii) transitory, dividing their time between the bush and village. Our results demonstrate that Hadza living in the bush during the period of tooth formation less frequently have LEH on these teeth, and have fewer of them on average, than do villagers. This is particularly so for the comparison of men. The transient group is intermediate in LEH incidence, although not significantly different from the bush and village samples. A lower LEH frequency in the bush Hadza is consistent with a diet that meets nutrient requirements of tooth formation, but higher incidence in the village sample suggests interruption of enamel secretion, most likely due to malnutrition. Such studies provide valuable context with which to interpret and understand bioarchaeological evidence, and to track effects of sedentisation on the biology of modern foragers. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of ancient Japanese society through mitochondrial DNA sequencing

In this study, DNA was extracted from human bones recovered from a 2000-year-old archaeological site located in northern Kyushu in southwestern Japan. Part of the mitochondrial control region was amplified by a polymerase chain reaction. Mitochondrial DNA sequences determined from 55 individuals were classified into 16 different types. Comparing the location of the burial site and the sequence types, people buried at separate sites were shown to have different maternal lineages. Our palaeomolecular biological findings strengthen the opinion that social differentiation began during this period in Japan, a fact that is generally accepted among archaeologists. The results of this study show that intensive analysis of ancient DNA from archaeological sites is a useful tool for investigating the social systems of vanished populations.     

Initial source evaluation of archaeological obsidian from the Kuril Islands of the Russian Far East using portable XRF

Obsidian artifacts recently have been recovered from 18 archaeological sites on eight islands across the Kuril Island archipelago in the North Pacific Ocean, suggesting a wide-ranging distribution of obsidian throughout the island chain over the last 2,500 years. Although there are no geologic sources of obsidian in the Kurils that are known to have been used prehistorically, sources exist in Hokkaido, Japan, and Kamchatka, Russia, the southern and northern geographic regions respectively from which obsidian may have entered the Kuril Islands. This paper reports on the initial sourcing attempt of Kuril Islands obsidian through the analysis of 131 obsidian artifacts. Data from this research were generated through the application of portable XRF technology, and are used to address research questions concerning prehistoric mobility, exchange, and social networking in the Kuril Islands.     

Cortical index of three prehistoric human Pacific Island samples

To understand stress, attention must focus on the costs and limits of adaptation. The current study investigates two non‐specific indicators of stress in human skeletal remains from three prehistoric sites in the Pacific Islands as an attempt to understand differential responses to island environments. The samples used in this study represent both colonising and established populations and are spread geographically throughout the Pacific Islands. In the current study both inter and intrasample comparisons of cortical index (CI) and maximum femoral length are made. Within all the samples there is evidence of an age related decline in CI and a sexual dimorphism of CI and maximum femoral length. No significant correlations are found between the non‐specific indicators of stress and the temporal and spatial distributions of the samples. Overall, the indicators used in the current study show very similar results and therefore do not seem to reflect differential adaptation to Pacific Island environments through time and across island groups. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Earliest evidence of spinal tuberculosis from the Aneolithic Yayoi period in Japan

Tuberculosis has existed from early prehistoric days to modern times. The main causative agents of tuberculosis worldwide are Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and M. bovis, along with M. africanum, M. cenettii and M. microti; these species make up the ‘M. tuberculosis complex’. This worldwide infection has been of special interest to palaeopathologists due to its characteristic bone lesions as well as its great antiquity. Historically, tuberculosis has been recognised in Japan for more than a thousand years. However, the origin and early prevalence of tuberculosis remain unknown. In the present study, we present the earliest evidence of skeletal tuberculosis found in the Aneolithic Yayoi period in Japan (ca. 300 BC to AD 300). The skeletal remains showing typical pathological changes of spinal tuberculosis were dated to between 454 BC and AD 124 by dendrochronological methods using coburied arrow-shield board and house columns made of Japanese cedar. We discuss the early prevalence of this infectious disease and its influence on the population history of the Japanese from prehistoric to Aneolithic times. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Teachers All: Samoan, Fijian, and Queensland Melanesian Missionaries in Papua, 1884–1914

Pacific Islands mission teachers were powerful agents of culture change in Oceania, and the Christianity they taught is part of the ideological and constitutional under-pinnings of several independent Pacific Island states. Their fullest impact was felt in the period between the 1880s and 1914, when vast distances were being crossed and diverse populations reached by evangelists from half a dozen Pacific nationalities. Below the common religious motivations professed by the Islands teachers there were sharp contrasts in expectations and behaviour. This paper compares the Samoan, Fijian, and Queensland Melanesian missionaries in Papua, a colony where Islanders were concentrated in larger numbers than elsewhere. The Samoans are given the greater balance of analysis in the paper, because the 187 male Samoans outnumbered both the Fijians (110 males) and Queensland Melanesians (46), and because the Samoans' expectations diverged more sharply from those of their Euro-pean colleagues than was the case with their Fijian and Queensland Melanesian contemporaries.     

A 2500‐year record of marine resource use on Ulong Island,Republic of Palau

The paper reports fish bone and shellfish assemblages from Ulong Island in the Rock Islands of Palau, western Micronesia dating from ∼3100 to 500 BP . Use of marine resources in early prehistory appears to have been highly localised with increasing capture of outer‐reef/pelagic taxa including shark and tuna after 1000 BP . Local stocks of large Tridacnids were depleted during initial human use of Ulong Island, and there is a size decrease in Scarus sp. remains consistent with pressure on the inshore fishery, especially after establishment of permanent stonework villages in late prehistory. Comparison of archaeological assemblages of fish bone from other Rock Islands dated to after 2000 BP indicate that the captured fish species and major capture methods differ between sites and likely reflect local marine environments at each location. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

From Reindeer to Wallaby: Recovering Patterns of Seasonality, Mobility, and Prey Selection in the Palaeolithic Old World

Data regarding major human prey from Franco-Cantabrian Palaeolithic sites have been gained through skeletochronological analyses. Trends gleaned from these data suggest temporal shifts in mobility, territoriality, and subsistence strategies. Compilation of control samples of teeth of recent animals (e.g., Cervus, Rangifer, Equus, Capreolus, Bos) of known-age and date-of-death has been requisite to these growth-increment studies. These methods have now been applied to modern Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus) populations from Tasmania in order to expand the potential of skeletochronological study for Australia's Palaeolithic-aged marsupial archaeofaunas.     

Settlement and Subsistence in the Remote Western Pacific: Archaeological and Radiocarbon Data from Alamagan,Northern Mariana Islands

Small, remote islands were marginal environments for prehistoric human populations. We report archaeological and radiocarbon data from Alamagan, a small and isolated island in the northern part of the Mariana Islands archipelago. Challenging environmental conditions, including rugged terrain, active or recent volcanism, and uncertain freshwater availability posed significant challenges for permanent settlement throughout the Northern Islands. The Alamagan archaeological investigations documented 14 megalithic domestic structures, or latte sets, as well as isolated and non-portable Latte Period artifacts, and one historical site. Test excavations were undertaken at two of the latte features. These investigations add to a growing body of data suggesting colonization of the Northern Islands during the middle part of the Latte Period (probably during the late a.d. 1200s or early 1300s). We consider the implications of these data for the study of human adaptations to marginal insular environments in the Pacific.     

Deconstructing the Lapita Cultural Complex in the Bismarck Archipelago

Within the Pacific Islands, the archaeological phenomenon called the Lapita Cultural Complex is widely regarded as first appearing in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea and then spreading southward. This complex supposedly represents the sudden arrival of migrants from Island Southeast Asia with new technologies, foreign languages, and a different worldview. We question these interpretations and the assumptions behind them and suggest instead that current evidence supports the introduction of new cultural traits over several centuries, rather than the sudden intrusion of foreign migrants.