Anthropological Science最新文献

{"title":"An Aztec <i>omichicahuaztli</i> from Tenochtitlan made out of a spider monkey bone.","authors":"Damián Ruiz-Ramoni, Bernardo Urbani, Carlos Serrano-Sánchez","doi":"10.1537/ase.241018","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.241018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article examines an unusual small-sized <i>omichicahuaztli</i> from Tenochtitlan. <i>Omichicahuaztlis</i> are artifacts that were made out of long bones with incisions and, likely, functioned as musical instruments. The referred bone from the Mexica (Aztec) culture (1250-1521 CE) is exhibited at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City. It has been identified either as a human or as a monkey bone. However, until now, it has not been studied in detail to test both contentions. Our morphological and morphometric analyses indicate that this specimen is from a platyrrhine femur (conferred to a Mexican spider monkey), and to our knowledge, it is the only of its kind among the Mexica and elsewhere in Mesoamerica. Archeoprimatologicaly, this unique <i>omichicahuaztli</i> stands together with confirmed findings of spider monkeys skins from a couple of offerings of the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, and with other primate osteological remains apparently found in two other Mexica sites. Ethnohistorically, among the Mexica (Aztec), the spider monkey is the most represented primate and is usually related to the notion of fertility. The Mexica perception of primates ranges from the use of bones and skins in medicine to the connection of giving birth on a particular day related to musical inclinations. In summary, the symbolic connotations of Mexica perceptions of primates appear to be embodied in this specimen. This <i>omichicahuaztli</i> also serves as evidence of the circulation of an allochthonous mammal from the tropical lowlands to Tenochtitlan highlands.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 1","pages":"17-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134055/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preauricular grooves on Japanese female skeletal remains in Edo as a bioarchaeological indicator in population studies.","authors":"Kenshin Nakamura, Reiko T Kono, Osamu Kondo","doi":"10.1537/ase.241007","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.241007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Preauricular grooves in women are considered as an indicator of childbirth or pregnancy. We examined 522 female pelvises excavated from archaeological sites in Edo (present-day Tokyo), Japan, which underwent population growth during the Edo period (AD 1603-1867). We analyzed the frequency of preauricular grooves by estimated age group, burial period, and type of burial facility in Edo to infer age-related changes and chronological as well as social-rank-related differences during the Edo period. We found that the frequency of preauricular grooves increased with individual age. Moreover, a higher frequency of developed preauricular grooves was observed during and after the 18th century (the middle-late Edo period) compared with those observed in the 17th century (early Edo period) in all age groups. The frequencies of preauricular grooves in remains buried in <i>kamekan</i> (ceramic coffins) and <i>hayaoke</i> (circular wooden coffins) revealed no social differentiation of reproduction rate. These results suggest that the average number of births per woman during and after the 18th century may have exceeded that in the 17th century. Consequently, it is highly probable that the population increase known to occur in Edo during the 17th century was caused by an influx from rural areas rather than by an increasing number of births among the city's female residents. Furthermore, the number of pregnancies and births did not differ significantly among different social classes during the later Edo period.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 1","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-12-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134066/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An abnormal connection: bilateral non-osseous calcaneonavicular coalition in the Old Burial Ground in Heuvelton, New York.","authors":"Marika Stauring, Madeleine Mant, Mindy C Pitre, Kayla Mander, Timothy Abel, Linda Johnson Wood","doi":"10.1537/ase.240828","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.240828","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This brief communication documents a case of tarsal coalition in a 15-year-old (± 30 months) adolescent from the Old Burial Ground in Heuvelton, New York. Macroscopic examination revealed pseudoarticulation, along with bilateral bony changes such as nodular bone, trabecular exposure, and porosity on the calcanei, naviculars, cuboids, and tali. These features were identified as bilateral non-osseous calcaneonavicular coalition. This case is significant as it is one of the few identified from a North American historical archaeological context, providing insight into the health conditions affecting a young settler in 19th-century rural upstate New York.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 1","pages":"33-37"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134056/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interplay of dietary diversity and mobility of the Late Neolithic people in the Central Plains of China: multi-isotope analysis at the Haojiatai site.","authors":"Yafan Shen, Wei Li, Yuta Kemuyama, Takafumi Hirata, Yu Itahashi, Ling Qin, Fawei Liang, Hai Zhang, Minoru Yoneda","doi":"10.1537/ase.240610","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.240610","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The origins of agriculture in East Asia can be distinguished between rice agriculture in southern China and millet agriculture (foxtail and broomcorn millet) in the north. In the Longshan period (c. 4300-3800 cal BP), with the northward expansion of rice farming, a mixed rice-millet agricultural area was established in the Central Plains of China, which was also in the core area of the establishment of the early state. The interaction between these two agricultural traditions is significant as a backdrop for the emergence of the Erlitou civilization, although the specifics of this cultural contact remain unclear. In this study, we conducted a multiple-isotope analysis to investigate the relationship between dietary diversity and human mobility at the Haojiatai site in Henan Province, where previous studies suggest that C₄ millet farmers and C₃ hunter-gatherer-fishers coexisted in this place. In addition to assessing carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of bone collagen, the results of nitrogen isotope ratios of individual amino acids suggested that the C₃-diet group primarily relied on terrestrial resources such as rice and wild herbivores but also showed a slight influence of C₄ food signature. Meanwhile, the C₄-diet group was also influenced by C₃ foods (wild herbivores and plants) and aquatic animals. Oxygen and strontium isotope ratios indicated that although there is no evidence of long-distance migrations, it does suggest an interaction with the core area of the Central Plains. C₃-diet individuals likely originated from non-local regions. A considerable number of C₄ millet farmers also appeared to have migrated from the surrounding area as well. The high mobility observed among populations of the Longshan culture implies a connection between the emergence of civilization and increased human mobility.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"132 2","pages":"85-104"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134068/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Male-driven admixture facilitated subsistence shift in northern China.","authors":"Shigeki Nakagome, Niall P Cooke","doi":"10.1537/ase.240520","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.240520","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Agriculture was arguably the most profound innovation in human history, and while it eventually spread throughout the planet its specific origins and dispersals are unique across different regions. It is therefore important to take into account diverse geographic and cultural contexts when trying to understand independent transitions to farming in different regions. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in sequencing ancient human genomes, enabling more regionally specific questions to be asked regarding the genetic impact of the local adoption of agriculture. One particularly informative approach is to explore the imbalance of genetic admixture from male versus female sources, which offers valuable insights into the social structures and cultural interactions of prehistoric populations. Here, we utilize publicly available data of ancient genomes from northern China, an area that is well known for one of the earliest centres for agricultural revolution, to look at potential sex biases in genetic admixture from different time periods based on autosomal and sex-specifically inherited X chromosomal variation. Our analysis identifies a higher influx of males from the Yellow River basin to the West Liao River basin during the Late Neolithic period associated with an increase in the reliance on millet farming in this region. This result underscores a distinction in farming transitions in northern China, particularly when compared to agricultural transitions in Europe, where there is no evidence of sex-biased admixture.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"132 2","pages":"79-84"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134061/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preface to the special issue on Anthropology in the Dawn of Chinese Civilization.","authors":"Shin'ichi Nakamura","doi":"10.1537/ase.240627","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.240627","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"132 2","pages":"63-64"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134052/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship between energy acquisition and family composition in hunter-gatherers.","authors":"Minori Hikichi, Masaki Tateno","doi":"10.1537/ase.231215","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.231215","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although previous research on hunter-gatherers has shown that cooperative care and resource provisioning are important traits of human life history, the specifics of these behaviors and their relationship to energy acquisition were undetermined. We developed a simulation model of energy investment in reproduction and child raising in hunter-gatherer families based on empirical data from previous research on hunter-gatherer energy acquisition, consumption, and annual mortality. The model calculates the number of children that a hunter-gatherer family can support until reaching adulthood. Using this model, we explored the optimum value for a life history trait, the age of first marriage, in families with different marriage types and with assistance from different age/sex groups. The model results showed that grandparenting could increase the number of children in families, but whether this was advantageous to the grandparents depended on their energy acquisition. The simulation results generally aligned with observed values for mean age at first birth, prevalence of grandparenting, and age/sex of helpers in cooperative breeding, implying that such traits are strongly influenced by energetic constraints.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"132 2","pages":"117-132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134053/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics of sagittal spinal alignment in Japanese elementary school students in standing position: focusing on thoracic hyperkyphosis.","authors":"Koji Koyama, Tomomi Ichiba, Kozo Furushima, Yoshinori Sugano, Azusa Niitsu, Yuka Kodachi, Sosuke Niino, Mayumi Ueno, Kazutaka Adachi","doi":"10.1537/ase.240503","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.240503","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Several reports have raised concerns about poor posture in children worldwide. As Japan began to experience rapid economic growth toward the end of the 20th century, poor posture (hyperkyphosis) in children became a particular problem. However, little research has been conducted on hyperkyphosis among Japanese elementary school students, and sample sizes have been inadequate. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of hyperkyphosis among Japanese elementary school students to help understand and prevent hyperkyphosis. A total of 403 Japanese elementary school students (208 boys and 195 girls) were enrolled in this study. The SpinalMouse system was used to measure thoracic kyphosis and upper thoracic, lower thoracic, lumbar lordosis, and sacral anteversion angles in the standing position. Hyperkyphosis was defined as a thoracic kyphosis angle of >40°. The participants were assigned to two groups: hyperkyphosis and non-hyperkyphosis. The prevalence of hyperkyphosis among Japanese elementary school students was approximately 25.0%. The upper and lower thoracic kyphosis angles were compared separately. The hyperkyphosis group had a significantly higher degree of kyphosis (upper and lower) than the non-hyperkyphosis group. The lumbar lordosis angle was significantly greater in the hyperkyphosis group than in the non-hyperkyphosis group. Additionally, the upper thoracic spine angle was significantly greater than the lower thoracic spine angle in the hyperkyphosis group. A strong negative correlation was found between the lumbar lordosis angle and sacral anteversion angles in both groups. The results of this study indicated a hyperkyphosis prevalence of approximately 25% and suggested that the upper thoracic spine may be characterized by a greater degree of kyphosis in Japanese elementary school students.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"133 1","pages":"39-43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134051/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Paleo-health of Neolithic wet-rice farmers in the Yangtze River Delta: a comparison with early millet farmers in northern China.","authors":"Kenji Okazaki, Hirofumi Takamuku, Yu Itahashi, Takashi Gakuhari, Minoru Yoneda, Mark Hudson, Xiaoting Zhu, Guoyao Rui, Jie Chen","doi":"10.1537/ase.240428","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.240428","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Several cases that do not fit the agricultural adaptation model, in which people's health deteriorated with the shift from hunting-gathering to farming, have been reported, such as the introduction of rice agriculture during the Yayoi Period in Japan and the Iron Age in Southeast Asia, where health was maintained or improved. However, the health of rice farmers in the homeland areas has rarely been reported. This study aims to clarify the frequency and degree of stress markers inscribed on Neolithic human bones in the Yangtze River Delta, one of the origins of rice agriculture, and to elucidate the state of adaptation when humans first engaged in rice agriculture. The materials of this study are the Early Neolithic site of Majiabang, and the Late Neolithic sites of Guangfulin and Jiangzhuang. Several millet farming groups in northern China were used as comparative materials. The results show that the Neolithic rice farming groups in the Yangtze River Delta generally had a higher frequency of stress markers than the millet farming groups in northern China. In particular, the Late Neolithic Guangfulin assemblage had higher frequencies, while the Early Neolithic Majiabang assemblage tended to have relatively low frequencies of porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia. These results suggest that people's health deteriorated in the Late Neolithic period, when the scale of paddy rice cultivation expanded, as a result of the new subsistence activities and rice-oriented diet.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"132 2","pages":"65-77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134063/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Collagen of ancient bones gives an indication of endogenous DNA preservation based on next-generation sequencing technology.","authors":"Yuka Nakamura, Daisuke Waku, Yoshiki Wakiyama, Yusuke Watanabe, Kae Koganebuchi, Tomohito Nagaoka, Kazuaki Hirata, Jun Ohashi, Ryuzaburo Takahashi, Minoru Yoneda, Hiroki Oota","doi":"10.1537/ase.240109","DOIUrl":"10.1537/ase.240109","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ancient genome analysis has become an indispensable tool in studies of human population history and evolution since the breakthrough of whole-genome sequencing technology. The problem remains, however, that ancient genomes cannot be analyzed without crushing non-small pieces of precious specimens; moreover, in many cases, there is insufficient DNA remaining in the pieces of sample to obtain whole-genome sequences. In previous studies, therefore, a couple of indicators (e.g. racemization ratios) have been proposed to estimate the endogenous DNA in ancient samples. However, these studies have used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to test whether endogenous DNA remains, but this has proved inadequate because the success or failure of PCR amplification does not necessarily reflect the DNA remaining. To assess the amount of endogenous DNA, we use the ratios of reads generated by next-generation sequencing (NGS) mapped to the human reference genome sequence. We investigated 40 human remains excavated from three shell-mound sites of the late to final Jomon culture. The associations between the environmental/molecular factors and the mapping ratios (MRs) were examined. There were no significant associations between the environmental factors and MRs, or between the collagen residual ratios (CRRs) and the MRs. However, we found a significant association between CRRs in rib bones and MRs. The weight of bone required to measure residual collagen is much less than that required to obtain the DNA necessary for NGS analysis, and the process of measuring CRRs is always involved in dating. Hence, we propose the collagen in the ribs as a good indicator for successful ancient genome analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":50751,"journal":{"name":"Anthropological Science","volume":"132 2","pages":"143-150"},"PeriodicalIF":0.6,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134070/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147976750","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}