Anthropological Studies on the Skulls of Edo-era excavated at Yushima-Muenzaka, Tokyo

Abstract

We have acquired 68 osteometrical measurements and 49 indices on 165 skulls which were excavated at Yushima-Muenzaka, Tokyo.
We presume that these skulls were burned about 171-272 years ago, and among them 102 skulls were that of males and 63 of females. In order to find the characteristics of these skulls, the measurements were compared with those of the recent Japanese, the medieval Japanese, excavated at Kamakura, the protohistoric Japanese, Hokkaido and Saghalin Ainos, the Koreans, the Chinese from northern and southern part of China, the Mongolians, and the Siamese.
The results are summerized as follows;
1. Maximum cranial length of the male skull is longer than that of the recent Japanese and nearly the same as that of the medieval Japanese at Kamakura. The female skull has almost the same length with that of the recent Japanese.
2. Maximum cranial breadth is about the same as that of the recent Japanese in Kanto-district and wider than that of the medieval Japanese at Kamakura.
3. Both the male and female skulls are mesocephalic and the male skull is more dolichocephalic than that of the female.
4. Concerning the basio-bregmatic height, there is no noticeable difference between the Muenzaka skulls and the recent and medieval Japanese.
5. The occipital bone of the male skull is extruded remarkably backward, and the "Occipitaler Knickungswinkel" is small.
6. The endocranical capacity is a little smaller than that of the recent Japanese and about the same as that of the medieval Japanese at Kamakura.
7. The breadth of the face is somewhat broader than that of the recent Japanese.
8. The orbita is broader and orbital index is larger than that of the recent Japanese.
9. If we consider all the measurements synthetically, we can conclude that the
skulls excavated at Yushima-Muenzaka are similar to those of the recent Japanese in Kanto-district.