本文通过对新疆且末县托乎拉克勒克乡加瓦艾日克村29座墓地出土的人骨标本进行了观察和分析。共鉴定出150例个体,其中男性73例、女性50例、性别不明者27例。男性、女性平均死亡年龄分别为36.3岁和35.6岁。形态学的分析指出且末人群更多地具有欧洲人种的特点,如鼻根凹陷深、鼻骨明显突起及犬齿窝深等。聚类分析结果显示且末人群与新疆古代人群焉布拉克C组、察吾呼四号组、多岗等人群较为接近。文章还根据线粒体DNA的分析结果讨论了且末古代人群的种族属性,古DNA的分析揭示出且末人群存在欧亚大陆东、西部人群的基因交流,并进一步指出其西部类型的成分来源极有可能来自西伯利亚,其东部成分可能来自西伯利亚或中国甘肃,只是东西方人群的基因融合规模小而且处于初级阶段,所以并未在颅面部形态特征上有大规模明显的改变。此外,本文从考古学文化、体质人类学研究以及古DNA等几个方面探讨了新疆地区古代人群的种族成分来源。本文还对且末人群的身高进行了推算,对一例变形颅骨以及骨骼上的创伤作了简要描述。

The present study summarizes a combined biological and cultural assessment of human skeletal remains from Gavaerk cemetery at Qiemo County, Xinjiang, to decipher trends related to population variation, health, and lifestyle in this region. The skeletal assemblage of Qiemo was unearthed from 29 burials, consisting of 150 individuals (MNI; 73 males, 50 females, and 27 undetermined). Males had an average age at death of 36.3 years, while females had 35.6 years. Cranial osteometric results largely indicate that Qiemo people appear to have considerable phenetic similarities with European groups, namely, depressed nasion, highly arched nasals, and deep canine fossa. Cluster analysis also suggests that Qiemo people have a close morphological affinity to ancient populations in Xinjiang, such as Yanbulaq group C, Charwighul group IV, and Duogang. Even though very limited “Mongolian” phenetic characteristics have been captured from Qiemo people, integrated with ancient mitochondrial DNA, material culture, and cranial morphological analyses, this paper reveals a genetic admixture with populations from Eurasia, suggesting a possible dual ancestry stemming from two different areas: one, most likely from Siberia; the other from Gansu, China. Nevertheless, the genetic interactions between ancient groups may have been at an early stage, so that the patterns observed in craniofacial morphology of the Qiemo people are not congruent with their genetic structure. In addition, this paper preliminarily examined the stature, trauma, and cranial pathology (cranial deformation of one individual) in this sample.