A human skeleton from the Ohguruwa remains.

Abstract

In 1941, the Ohguruwa remains were discovered at the Mizuho sports ground site in Nagoya. They date from about 3000 B.C., which is the early Jomon era. When the stadium was reconstructed in 1980, four human skeletons were found. Three of them, however, were in poor condition and moreover, were incomplete. However, the second skeleton was in good condition and could almost be reconstructed, and this skeleton (No. 2) was used for our study. It was found in the classic posture with arms and legs folded. Some pieces of a dog's skeleton were also discovered near the No. 2 skeleton's chest. This particular skeleton generally showed characteristics typical of the Jomon era. It had a stout structure and was judged to be a middle aged male because of the following features. There was considerable attrition of the occlusal surfaces on the remaining teeth. The teeth were worn flat, probably owing to the hard food and to their use as a tool. Both canines and first premolars of the upper and lower arches had been extracted in accordance with the custom of the time. Typical caries and localized periodontal breakdown were not observed, although there was horizontal alveolar bone loss, especially in the anterior regions. The mastoid process was extremely large and prominent. The lateral prominence of the mandible was developed. Analysis of lateral cephalogram revealed that the mandible was in the anterior position. The angles of SNA, SNB and ANB were 89.6 degrees, 89.2 degrees and 0.4 degrees, respectively. The skeletal pattern was definitive Class III. The adaptive changes in the teeth, their supporting tissues, temporomandibular joints and the related muscles--the harmonious masticatory system--were all estimated.