Paper short abstract:

The Leran burial site is located on the north coast of Java, which has an important role in ancient maritime routes. This paper explores the biological affinities of the Leran population using dental metric and non-metric traits in relationship with several surrounding archaeological samples.

Paper long abstract:

The Leran burial site is located in Rembang Regency, Central Java. Geographically, this site is located on the north coast of Java, which has a very important role in ancient maritime routes. This site was found by local people in 2012 as a result of coastal erosion. Until 2013, the Center for Archaeological Research of Yogyakarta has found at least 17 individuals. Based on its archaeological context, this site is dated back to at least the early Islamic period (XV century). This paper explores some the biological affinities of the people using dental metric and non-metric traits from Leran in relationship to several surrounding archaeological samples. Our findings can contribute to the understanding of how ancient maritime connections resulted in heterogeneity of their supporter community.

Keywords: biological affinities, maritime route, north coast of Java.