title: Craniometric examination of Longxian and Qi Li Cun archaeological sites to assess population continuity in ancient northern China.
abstract: In this paper, population continuity and discontinuity in northern China are explored using craniometric analyses from two archaeological sites, Longxian (Warring States) and Qi Li Cun (Han Dynasty). Neither population has been previously studied. Artefactual evidence shows the individuals from Qi Li Cun were Xianbei, descendants from Mongolia. Longxian is from further south in the central plains at an earlier time, thus, we expect to observe variability between these groups. In total, 24 cranial measurements were obtained on 66 crania from these sites. Howells's cranial measurements on Anyang (42 crania) and Hainan (83 crania) Chinese samples were included for comparative purposes. Less variability is expected between Longxian and Howells's Chinese data due to geographic and temporal similarity. With closer geographic and temporal affinity with Anyang, the expectation is for Longxian and Anyang to be similar. Few statistical differences exist between Longxian and Qi Li Cun; this was supported by the similarity found through principal components analysis (PCA). Regardless of sex, canonical discriminant analysis shows clustering of Longxian and Qi Li Cun separate from those of Anyang and Hainan. Their similarity indicates the people from Longxian and Qi Li Cun likely share Mongolian ancestry. Our results, supported by other studies, suggest that despite temporal differences, Mongolians living in China during the Warring States and Han dynasty retained their cultural and genetic Mongolian identity. These data add valuable bioarchaeological information regarding the peopling of northern China during a crucial period of cultural and political change in the Early Bronze Age and Iron Age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of New Brunswick, 13 MacAulay Lane, Annex C, Suite 28, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada; Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa. Electronic address: gibbonv@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Victoria E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Gibbon
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of New Brunswick, 13 MacAulay Lane, Annex C, Suite 28, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada.
authors.forename: Tarun A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10044, China.
authors.forename: Xiujie
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 10044, China.
authors.forename: Wu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001106:Archaeology; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history; D002508:Cephalometry; D002681:China; D016002:Discriminant Analysis; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history; D005260:Female; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000266:history; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008986:Mongolia / Q000208:ethnology; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000266:history; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
keywords: Bronze Age; Cranial morphology; Iron Age; Mongolia; Xianbei