Anthropological and Pathologic-Posttraumatic Characteristics of Ancient Human Remains from the Burials of Izmeri XXVI Burial Ground on the Basis of Craniological and Medical-Forensic Study Results
Journal Title: Поволжская Археология - Year 2018, Vol 1, Issue 23
Abstract
The paper features preliminary results of an anthropological study of bone remains from the burials of Izmeri XVI burial ground (11th – 9th centuries B.C.) located in the Spassky district of the Tatarstan Republic. A total of five skeletons, four male and one female, were studied using a craniological program and medical-criminalistic analysis techniques. The male skulls are generally characterized as mesocranial with a relatively wide and low horizontally well-profiled face and a central protrusion of the nasal bones. In general, the series corresponds to the Caucasian morphotype, but features an inclusion of Mongoloid elements of the Ural or West Siberian genesis (prognathism of the face, particularly in its alveolar portion, and a minor nose protrusion on individual sculls). In terms of morphology, the female skull corresponds to one of the variants of the Ural race. A comparative analysis involving a synchronous series from the Middle Volga region demonstrated a morphological similarity of the male skulls from Izmeri XVI burial mound with the skulls from Maklasheevka (Murzikha II, Devichy Gorodok IV, etc.) and Early Ananyino burials (Izmersky VII, Murzikha II, etc.) with their origin possibly related to the generally Caucasian forest-steppe population of the Urals and Western Siberia. Individual bones of postcranial skeletons feature trace of changes related with the age, pathologies and injuries of the subject. Numerous traces of post-traumatic injuries were revealed on all of the sculls. Their number varied from one to seven for individual sculls. A group of items (implements) which could have caused the injury is preliminarily determined depending on its nature, shape and size. In most cases each individual trauma could have been the cause of death of the subject. Thus, the anthropological materials of Izmeri XVI burial mound, in combination with the other materials, reflect the complex and ambiguous processes of racial and cultural genesis in the Middle Volga region in the transition period from the end of the Bronze Age to the beginning of the Iron Age.
Authors and Affiliations
Ilgizar Gazimzyanov, Konstantin Kiryagin
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP281231
- DOI 10.24852/pa2018.1.23.275.293
- Views 87
- Downloads 0
Krasnoye Syundyukovo I Fortified Settlement: Investigation in 2014
The article devoted to the results of new investigations of Krasnoye Syundyukovo I fortified settlement situated on the right bank of the Sviyaga river in the Ulyanovsk region. The site is one of the pre-Mongol towns of...
Monument of the Late – Final Bronze Age in West Part of the Orenburg Region (Burial Mound Near the Kamenka Village)
In the paper, the results of the excavation of two burial mounds of the cemetery near the village of Kamenka in West Orenburg region are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. In the burial mound No....
Chronology of 3rd–5th Centuries Male Graves from the Tarasovo Burial Ground
The article focuses on the chronological attribution of male graves from the late Mazunino stage of the Tarasovo burial ground in the Middle Kama area and is sequel to an earlier article about dating of the early Nyrgynd...
Southern Cis-Urals in the Great Migration Period – Archaeological and Geographical Context
The article considers the geography of studied archaeological sites dating back to the first half of the 1st Millennium A.D. located in the steppes of the Southern Urals and the Lower Volga region. According to the autho...
Newly Discovered Settlement of the 14th – 15th Centuries On Kerch Peninsula (preliminary report on 2018 research materials)
The paper features the materials of exploratory studies conducted in 2018 on the northeastern tip of the Kerch Peninsula in the area of Osoviny settlement. The activities on the determination of the boundaries of Osoviny...