Minatogawa people

Japanese: 港川人 - みなとがわじん

Fossilized human bones dating back approximately 18,000 years were discovered in the Minatogawa Quarry in Gushikami Village (→ Gushikami) in the southern part of Okinawa Island. In 1968, Moriyasu Oyama from Naha discovered human bones at the site, which prompted full-scale excavation and investigation. In 1982, details were reported by Suzuki Takashi and others. More than four skeletons were excavated, and the skeleton of an adult male called Minatogawa No. I has well-preserved skull and limb bones, making it the most complete Pleistocene human fossil unearthed in the Japanese archipelago. The estimated heights of the male No. I and the females No. II to IV are 155 cm and 144 cm, respectively, which is quite short. The skull has a raised brow and a low, wide face, and there are morphological similarities between the Japanese Jomon people and the Liuyue people of southern China.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

沖縄本島南部の具志頭村 (→具志頭 ) にある港川採石場で発見された約1万 8000年前の化石人骨。 1968年那覇の大山盛保が現場で人骨を発見したのを機に，本格発掘・調査が進んだ。 1982年鈴木尚らによって詳細が報告された。4個体分以上の骨格が出土しており，なかでも港川I号と呼ばれる成人男性骨格は頭骨や四肢骨がよく保存されており，日本列島出土の更新世人類化石のなかで，最も完全に近いものである。推定身長はI号男性が 155cm，II～IV号の女性の平均が 144cmで，いずれもかなり低い。頭骨では眉間が隆起し，顔が低く幅広い形をもっており，日本の縄文時代人や中国南部の柳江人との形態上の類似が認められている。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

<<: Minatogawa Shrine

>>: Minatogawa