A1-13 Anthropological study of the transition from the Jomon to the Yayoi Periods in northern Kyushu using morphological and paleodemographical features

Several important questions require further scrutiny concerning with the transition from Jomon to Yayoi peoples in Northern kyushu, especially in the early stages of the supposed immigration into this region. Most of the Yayoi skeletons collected so far in this region represent the middle Yayoi period. Therefore, we know few details of the transitional period. For example, which group of people is responsible for the “Yayoi revolution”, including new culture and full scale rice agriculture, the native Jomon people or a new immigrant group?. In recent years, a number of archaeologists have favored the former group as being responsible. Because it is difficult to discuss this problem directly due to scarcity of skeletal remains from these periods, we attempt a reconstruction of this transitional period in northern Kyushu, by paleodemographic and morphological analyze. Judging from the results, it is reasonable to suppose that a small number of people initially migrated from the Asian mainland in early stage, which is consistent with the archaeological data. Following this the size of the immigrant population increased substantially and they, not the native Jomon people, played an principal role in the development of the Yayoi culture from its inception.