The Biological Affinities of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age: A Regional Dental Non-metric Approach

摘要

This study investigated biological population affinities amongst EasternudMediterranean Chalcolithic and Bronze Age human skeletal samples. Seven hundredudand eighty-six human remains from eight different sites in Cyprus, Greece and Syriaudwere studied. The sites range in age from the Cypriot Chalco lithic (SouskiouVathyrkakas,udLemba-Lakkous and Kissonerga-Mosphilia) to Cypriot Late BronzeudAge (Enkomi and Ayios Iakovos), Syrian Early Bronze (Jerablus-Tahtani) and GreekudMiddle Bronze Ages (Lema and Asine). Age, sex and non-metric traits from theuddentition, crania and post-crania were recorded. Using the non-metric dental data theudbiological affinities of these sites were determined. Two statistics were utilised withudthe non-metric traits to determine biological affinities, the Mean Measure ofudDivergence (MMD) and the Coefficient of e (D.e). The comparisons beteen theudsites from southwest Cyprus show all three sites, which are in close spatialudproximity, to be statistically biologically similar. Also they appeared to show someudrelation to the Syrian Early Bronze age site of Jerablus-Tahtani. These findings areudin contrast to the different material cultures of these two regions, which may suggestudthe biological relation may be based on the ancestral contact between Cyprus and theudmainland. The Cypriot Late Bronze sites show a mixed relation with theudChalco lithic samples with some relations with the Middle Bronze Age Greekudsamples and Syria. Where geographical distance is usually a factor in these types ofudcomparisons, this study suggests time may also be a factor.