手法を比較

	幾何形態計測学	最小個体数
分野	考古学	考古学
系統	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
提唱年	1991	1953
提唱者	Fred Bookstein	Theodore White
種類	Shape and form analysis	Faunal quantification method
原典	Bookstein, F. L. (1991). Morphometric Tools for Landmark Data: Geometry and Biology. Cambridge University Press.	White, T. E. (1953). A method of calculating the dietary percentages of various food animals utilized by aboriginal peoples. American Antiquity, 19(4), 396-398.
別名	shape analysis, morphometric analysis	MNI method, minimum individual number
関連	4	4
概要	Geometric morphometrics is a quantitative analytical method that captures, analyzes, and compares the shapes of biological structures (bones, teeth, pottery) using coordinate data from landmarks and outlines. Developed by Fred Bookstein in the 1990s, GMM provides a rigorous statistical framework for studying shape variation across populations or time periods. The method allows archaeologists to quantify morphological differences between individuals, populations, or artifact classes with precision impossible using traditional linear measurements.	Minimum number of individuals (MNI) is a quantitative zooarchaeological method that estimates the minimum number of animals represented in a faunal assemblage based on the frequency of unique skeletal elements. Developed by Theodore White in 1953, it is one of the most widely used techniques for analyzing animal bone assemblages from archaeological sites. The MNI method helps archaeologists understand hunting and butchering patterns, interpret subsistence practices, and assess the diversity of fauna exploited by past human populations.