방법 비교

	최소 개체수	기하학적 형태 계측학
분야	고고학	고고학
계열	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
기원 연도	1953	1991
창시자	Theodore White	Fred Bookstein
유형	Faunal quantification method	Shape and form analysis
원전	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.	Bookstein, F. L. (1991). Morphometric Tools for Landmark Data: Geometry and Biology. Cambridge University Press.
별칭	MNI method, minimum individual number	shape analysis, morphometric analysis
관련	4	4
요약	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.	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.