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Cited by 68Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology StudiesMorphological variations and asymmetryPleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

Post-Pleistocene diachronic change in East Asian facial skeletons: the size, shape and volume of the orbits

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BROWN, PETER, MAEDA, TOMOKO·2004·Anthropological Science
DOI 10.1537/ase.00072
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Abstract

Globally there was a reduction in the size and robusticity of the human orofacial skeleton and dentition after the Pleistocene. There was also diachronic change in brain size and skeletal mass in general. Anthropologists have developed numerous models in explanation of the evolutionary process, with the majority linked to the cultural developments of the Neolithic. These cultural models are challenged by the skeletal evidence from societies with contrasting culture histories. In China there is a reduction in facial breadth, height and prognathism, posterior tooth size, brain volume and cranial robusticity from the Neolithic to the modern period. However, the height of the orbits increases rather than decreases. Examination of the structural relationships between orbit and facial dimensions in Tohoku Japanese and Australian Aboriginal crania suggests a steady reduction in orbit volume in China. This may have resulted in a more anterior placement of the eyeball and associated structures in modern East Asians than in their Neolithic counterparts.

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  • Brown and Maeda [19,22] showed that the endocranial volume of males decreased from a mean of 1510 ml in early Neolithic (5500-6000 year old) samples down to 1400 ml in present-day Chinese.

    “They showed that the endocranial volume of males decreased from a mean of 1510 ml in early Neolithic (5500-6000 year old) samples down to 1400 ml in present-day Chinese.”

    From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [22]

    The ‘Diachronic change in China’ section reports that endocranial volume declined from the early Neolithic to the recent period, and the Materials section identifies Neolithic and modern northern Chinese samples. Our copy does not give the claimed means of 1510 ml and 1400 ml, so those figures cannot be verified from this source. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Studies of skeletal samples from different regions of the world are very consistent in finding reductions of endocranial volume during the last 10,000 years.

    “Studies of skeletal samples from different regions of the world are very consistent in finding reductions of endocranial volume during the last 10,000 years [6-8,19,22-24].”

    From Selection for smaller brains in Holocene human evolution (2011) · cites this paper as [22]

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Research works printed but not linked: 6

  1. Brown P. (1992a) Post-Pleistocene change in Australian Aborigi- nal tooth size: dental reduction or relative expansion? In: Brown T. and Molnar S. (eds.) "Human Craniofacial Varia- tion in Pacific Populations," Anthropology and Genetics Lab- oratory, University of Adelaide, pp. 33-52.
  2. Lukacs J.R. (1984) Dental anthropology of South Asian popula- tions. In: JR Lukacs (ed.): "The People of South Asia," Ple- num Press, New York, pp. 133-158.
  3. Ray C.D. (1955) Configuration and lateral closure of the superior orbital fissure. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 13: 309-321.
  4. Smith P., Bloom R.A., and Berkovitz J. (1984) Diachronic trends in humeral cortical thickness. Journal of Human Evolution, 13: 603-611.
  5. Smith P., Wax Y., Becher A., and Einy S. (1985) Diachronic varia- tion in cranial thickness. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 67: 127-133.
  6. Yan W. (1992) Origins of agriculture and animal husbandry in China. In: Aikens C.M. and Rhee S.N. (eds.) "Pacific North- east Asia in Prehistory," Washington State University Press, Pullman, pp. 113-123.

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Authors
BROWN, P., & MAEDA, T.
Affiliations
Tohoku University (JP)
ORCID
BROWN, PETER
Venue
Anthropological Science
Publisher
Anthropological Society of Nippon
Published
2004
Volume
112
Issue
1
Pages
29-40
ISSN
  • 0918-7960 (ISSN-L)
  • 1348-8570
DOI
10.1537/ase.00072
OpenAlex
W2020333393
Cited by
68
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
FWCI
88.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
Anthropological Science (publishedVersion)
Funders
Academia Sinica
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Geometry and Topology › Morphological variations and asymmetry
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
Keywords
orbit size, facial morphology, Neolithic, brain size reduction, diachronic change

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