БИОАРХЕОЛОГИЯ КОЧЕВНИКОВ ВТОРОЙ ПОЛОВИНЫ III — IV В. Н. Э. (на примере анализа нижневолжских и нижнедонских погребений)

Abstract

The paper presents a comparative analysis of anthropological materials originating from the nomadic burials of the Lower Volga and Lower Don regions of the late 3rd and 4th century AD. The standard assessment program of paleopathological conditions developed by A. P. Buzhilova was applied in the course of examination of the anthropological material. The authors conducted the analysis using the methods of multivariate statistics in order to assess the degree of variability. The results obtained were correlated with the data of archaeology and paleoecology. The studied sample from the burial grounds of the Lower Volga region included 22 individuals; the archaeological complex of the Lower Don is presented by bone remains of 9 individuals. The study has shown that both series for the most part are close to each other as regards to pathological conditions, stress markers as well as gender and age indicators. Statistically significant differences were revealed only for 4 characteristics: caries, enamel chips, pathological tooth wear and the “orange peel” type vascular reaction. On the one hand, variability may be a consequence of the objective small number of the series, on the other, might reflect differences in lifestyle, diets and origin of the compared groups. For instance, the dominance of agricultural foods in the Alans-Tanaites’ diet brings them closer to the sedentary population of the Kuban and Lower Don. The specific deviations revealed in the study of dentoalveolar system in the Lower Don group may be the result of close interaction with agricultural centers, or may stem from the North Caucasus regional migrations.