Objective

To test the hypothesis that the “Little Ice Age” (LIA) (in Japan, ˜1440 – 1730 CE) co-occurred with unique age-at-death patterns.

Materials

810 adult human skeletons from the early Medieval Period (EMP) of Japan, which are contemporaneous with the Medieval Warm Period (10th – mid 13th century AD), and the late Medieval Period (LMP) and Edo Period, which are contemporary with the LIA.

Methods

Age at death and sex was determined for each skeleton and demographic profiles of the Yayoi Period (5th century BC – 3rd century AD), EMP, LMP, and Edo site samples were compared. Paleopathological data from previously published reports were evaluated.

Results

The EMP had the highest mortality among young adults. Longevity increased in the samples (LMP and Edo) contemporaneous with the LIA.

Conclusions

EMP early age-at-death was the result of poor community health, violent death, and frequent large-scale natural catastrophes. The LMP and Edo Period samples have an older age-at-death pattern and higher frequency of stress markers, argued to be a consequence of a colder climate.

Significance

This study is the first to synthesize paleodemographic and paleopathological data on a large scale to assess the possible effects of the Little Ice Age in Japan.

Limitations

Varying skeletal preservation and focus on adult skeletons reduces the ability to evaluate health throughout the life span.

Suggestions for further research

Analysis of nonadult remains and multiple health indicators will likely shed more light on the effects of the Little Ice Age in Japan.

中文翻译：

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日本中世纪时期的健康危机：新的古人类学观点。

目的

为了检验“小冰河时代”（LIA）（在日本，约1440 – 1730年）与死亡年龄独特的模式同时出现的假设。

用料

日本中世纪早期（EMP）的810个成年人体骨骼，与中世纪温暖时期（公元10 – 13世纪中叶）以及中世纪晚期（LMP）和江户时代同时代，与LIA并存。

方法

确定了各个骨骼的死亡年龄和性别，并比较了弥生时代（公元前5世纪至公元3世纪），EMP，LMP和江户遗址的人口统计资料。对以前发表的报告的古病理数据进行了评估。

结果

EMP在年轻人中死亡率最高。与LIA同时进行的样品（LMP和Edo）的寿命延长。

结论

EMP早亡是社区健康状况不佳，暴力死亡和频繁的大规模自然灾害的结果。LMP和Edo时期的样本死亡年龄较大，且压力标记的频率较高，据认为是气候变冷的结果。

意义

这项研究是第一个大规模综合古地理学和古病理学数据以评估日本小冰期可能产生的影响的研究。

局限性

骨骼保存的不同以及对成年骨骼的关注会降低评估整个生命周期中健康状况的能力。

进一步研究的建议

对非成年人遗骸和多种健康指标的分析可能会更加了解日本小冰期的影响。