Acta Anthropologica Sinica ›› 2020, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (04): 576-585.doi: 10.16359/j.cnki.cn11-1963/q.2020.0029

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Patterns of cranium trauma of ancient pastoralists in Jundushan, Beijing

HE Jianing1,2(), LI Nan1,2   

  1. 1. Center for the Study of Chinese Archaeology, Peking University, Beijing 100871
    2. School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing 100871
  • Received:2020-07-01 Revised:2020-07-24 Online:2020-11-15 Published:2020-09-12

Abstract:

Jundushan cemeteries are key sites of Bronze age pastoral Yuhuangmiao culture from Eastern Zhou Period in North China. Cranial traumas of 125 individuals from the cemetery were examined. Males showed a high prevalence rate (13.3%) but no cases of trauma were found in females and non-adults. All of the injuries were ante-mortem blunt force trauma, the prevalence shows no temporal change or hierarchical difference. The cranial trauma of Jundushan was close related to violent conflict, which was a manifestation of increasing competition and instability in Jundushan society, and was related to the fragile ecology as well as interaction with surrounding sendentary agricultural populations.

Key words: Cranial trauma, Jundushan, Paleopathology

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