Osteoarthritis of the Jomon people

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H07301
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Cultural assets study and museology
• Research Institution: Niigata University of Health and Welfare
• Principal Investigator: SAEKI Fumiko 新潟医療福祉大学, 医療技術学部, 助教 (20780216)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-08-26 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 縄文時代 / 変形性関節症 / 骨考古学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To clarify the life style and life condition of the Neolithic Jomon people, appearance frequencies of osteoarthritis in the Jomon skeletons were investigated. The materials were the vertebrae and limb bones of Jomon human remains from the Daizen-no-minami shell mounds in Chiba prefecture, the Shinmei shell mounds in Saitama Prefecture, Hasedo shell mounds in Iwate Prefecture, and Nonomae shell mounds in Iwate Prefecture. As a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that the appearance frequencies of osteoarthritis were different between adult males and females and among the site groups. These findings suggest that there was sexual division of labor in the Jomon period and work volume were significantly different among the Jomon site groups.

Free Research Field

人類学