| Abstract: |
Mahalanobis' Generalised Distance and stepwise discriminant function analysis are applied to 28 measurements recorded in 2, 490 male crania representing 55 different prehistoric, modern and near modern human groups. Included are crania from Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and North Asia. The results of two separate analyses are discussed. In the first analysis, Bronze-age crania from Ban Chiang are compared to crania from Khok Phanom Di (central Thailand), Neolithic Laos/Vietnam, Anyang (Bronze-age northern China) and Jomon Japan. The five prehistoric groups are well differentiated. In discriminant space and in a cluster analysis of distances, Ban Chiang is moderately similar to Anyang. Broader comparisons demonstrate two major population complexes, one which includes all Asian cranial groups and a second which includes cranial series from Australia, Melanesia and Polynesia. Ban Chiang, Khok Phanom Di and Neolithic Laos/Vietnam are marginal members of this Asian sub-division. Ban Chiang demonstrates craniometric similarities with several modern and prehistoric cranial series including the Ryukyu Islands, Anyang and Khok Phanom Di. The latter is morphologically closest to several modern cranial samples from mainland and island Southeast Asia, Ban Chiang and the Ryukyu Islands. The cranial series representing Neolithic Laos and Vietnam are most similar to island Southeast Asian cranial series. Aimu and Jomon form a separate cluster within the Asian complex unrelated to Polynesians. The Mongolians are the most isolated of the Asian groups investigated.
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