A GENETIC-STUDY OF 2,000-YEAR-OLD HUMAN REMAINS FROM JAPAN USING MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA SEQUENCES

We present nucleotide sequence data for mitochondrial DNA extracted fr om ancient human skeletons of the Yayoi era (ca. 2,000 BP) excavated f rom the Takuta-Nishibun site in northern Kyushu of Japan. Nucleotide s equence diversity showed that the Yayoi people of the Takuta-Nishibun site were not a genetically homogeneous population. This site shows a diversity in the burial style. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a stati stically significant correlation between burial style and the genetic background of the Takuta-Nishibun individuals, and revealed no discret e clustering patterns for the Yayoi individuals, for early modern Ainu , or for the Jomon people, (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.