Morphological study of deformed crania from the Yean-ri site, Korea.
Crania showing extraordinary shape from the Yean-ri site, South Korea, were analyzed to qualify and quantify the changes resulted from deformation practice. The incidence of deformed crania is 19.2% and all of them are derived from tombs in the 4th century A.D. The contours and craniometric data of the deformed individuals (DY) were compared with those of two control groups, the undeformed samples from Yean-ri (UY) and modern Koreans (MK). The deformation in Yean-ri is judged to be an intentional frontal flattening. The frontal bone of DY is remarkably flattened by a primary deforming force. The parietal bone expands laterally and superoposteriorly as a major compensatory growth. The lambdoid or occipital flattening induced by the counterforce is light and unstable. In the facial skeleton, the maxilla shifts downward as a minor compensatory growth. These morphological findings are consistent with the description in the Chinese chronological record, San-guo-zhi.
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Department of Oral Anatomy, Kagoshima University Dental School, Japan.
D000885:Anthropology, Physical; D002508:Cephalometry; D019465:Craniofacial Abnormalities / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D012886:Skull / Q000473:pathology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical