Injury Rate of the Bronze Age Population from the Lower Volga Area

Abstract

Introduction. The research objective is to determine and analyze data on traumatic phenomena found in the bones of the Bronze Age population originating from the burial sites of the Lower Volga area. Methods. The identification of traumatic injuries in anthropological materials was based on the works and recommendations in the field of special traumatology and pathology used in forensic medicine and bioarchaeological reconstructions. Statistical analysis was carried out using one-dimensional methods and nonparametric Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis criteria. Analysis. The study of paleoanthropological materials of the Early Bronze Age shows that injuries are found only on skulls. The total injuries of the adult population in the group are at the level of 15.2%. Of the 5 injuries on the bones of the Early Bronze Age, 1 belongs to a woman and 4 – to men. Severe injuries are discovered in adult individuals. General injuries are not numerous and reach 24.8%. In the series of the Late Bronze Age, injuries on the bone remains of children are also not detected. The frequency of occurrence of traumatic objects on anthropological materials of II millennium BC is insignificant, only 18 cases, which is 16.1% of the total number of adult individuals. Results. In the studied series, sex dimorphism and differences in the nature of distribution of injuries between groups of different ages are not statistically revealed, which indicates similar social roles of the male and female population in the Bronze Age. No injuries are detected in children. The frequency of perimortem injuries is extremely low. Non-lethal (uniform, with traces of healing) injuries on the skull bones and postcranial skeleton dominate in the series, which indicates a similar level of technological development and medical knowledge in the Bronze Age population. Injuries of the Bronze Age of the Lower Volga region can be described as every day or civilian trauma due to the development of labor production or social tension in the groups.