Anthropological Data Research Articles

Kinship-based social inequality in Bronze Age Europe.

Revealing and understanding the mechanisms behind social inequality in prehistoric societies is a major challenge. By combining genome-wide data, isotopic evidence, and anthropological and archaeological data, we have gone beyond the dominating supraregional approaches in archaeogenetics to shed light on the complexity of social status, inheritance rules, and mobility during the Bronze Age. We applied a deep microregional approach and analyzed genome-wide data of 104 human individuals deriving from farmstead-related cemeteries from the Late Neolithic to the Middle Bronze Age in southern Germany. Our results reveal individual households, lasting several generations, that consisted of a high-status core family and unrelated low-status individuals; a social organization accompanied by patrilocality and female exogamy; and the stability of this system over 700 years.

Virtual forensic anthropology: The accuracy of osteometric analysis of 3D bone models derived from clinical computed tomography (CT) scans

Clinical radiology is increasingly used as a source of data to test or develop forensic anthropological methods, especially in countries where contemporary skeletal collections are not available. Naturally, this requires analysis of the error that is a result of low accuracy of the modality (i.e. accuracy of the segmentation) and the error that arises due to difficulties in landmark recognition in virtual models. The cumulative effect of these errors ultimately determines whether virtual and dry bone measurements can be used interchangeably.To test the interchangeability of virtual and dry bone measurements, 13 male and 14 female intact cadavers from the body donation program of the Amsterdam UMC were CT scanned using a standard patient scanning protocol and processed to obtain the dry os coxae. These were again CT scanned using the same scanning protocol. All CT scans were segmented to create 3D virtual bone models of the os coxae (‘dry’ CT models and ‘clinical’ CT models). An Artec Spider 3D optical scanner was used to produce gold standard ‘optical 3D models’ of ten dry os coxae.The deviation of the surfaces of the 3D virtual bone models compared to the gold standard was used to calculate the accuracy of the CT models, both for the overall os coxae and for selected landmarks. Landmark recognition was studied by comparing the TEM and %TEM of nine traditional inter-landmark distances (ILDs). The percentage difference for the various ILDs between modalities was used to gauge the practical implications of both errors combined.Results showed that ‘dry’ CT models were 0.36–0.45mm larger than the ‘optical 3D models’ (deviations −0.27mm to 2.86mm). ‘Clinical’ CT models were 0.64–0.88mm larger than the ‘optical 3D models’ (deviations −4.99mm to 5.00mm). The accuracies of the ROIs were variable and larger for ‘clinical’ CT models than for ‘dry’ CT models. TEM and %TEM were generally in the acceptable ranges for all ILDs whilst no single modality was obviously more or less reliable than the others. For almost all ILDs, the average percentage difference between modalities was substantially larger than the average percentage difference between observers in ‘dry bone’ measurements only.Our results show that the combined error of segmentation- and landmark recognition error can be substantial, which may preclude the usage of ‘clinical’ CT scans as an alternative source for forensic anthropological reference data.

Burying power: New insights into incipient leadership in the Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic from an outstanding burial at Ba'ja, southern Jordan.

In 2016, an extraordinary burial of a young adult individual was discovered at the Late Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (LPPNB, 7,500–6,900 BCE) settlement of Baʻja in southern Jordan. This burial has exceptional grave goods and an elaborate grave construction. It suggests discussing anew reconstructions of early Neolithic social structures. In this article, we will summarize former theories on the emergence of leadership and hierarchies and present a multivariate model according to which anthropological and archaeological data of the burial will be analyzed. In conclusion, we surmise that early Neolithic hierarchization in southern Jordan was based on corporate pathways to power rather than self-interested aggrandizers. However, some aspects of the burial point to regional exchange networks of prestige goods, a trait considered characteristic of network based leadership. In line with anthropological and sociological research, we argue that pathways to power should be considered as relational processes that can be understood only when comparing traits of the outstanding person to her/his social environment.

Diferenças na produção, no compartilhamento e no (re)uso de dados de pesquisa: a percepção de pesquisadores de Química, Antropologia e Educação

Discussões sobre as práticas de produção/obtenção, compartilhamento e re(uso) de dados de pesquisa sob o espectro das diferenças disciplinares têm sido relevantes ao processo de comunicação científica, especialmente, à luz da Ciência Aberta. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar as práticas de produção/obtenção, compartilhamento e (re)uso de dados de pesquisa em Química, Antropologia e Educação. No campo metodológico, é uma pesquisa de natureza descritiva, em que foi adotada a estratégia de investigação qualitativa e o método de levantamento. Os participantes do estudo foram docentes permanentes dos Programas de Pós-Graduação em Química (três pesquisadores), Antropologia (três pesquisadores) e Educação (quatro pesquisadores) da Universidade de Brasília (UnB). A coleta dos dados procedeu mediante entrevistas semiestruturadas e a utilização do software NVivo (edição Starter) auxiliou os procedimentos de análise dos dados coletados. Os resultados do estudo demonstraram diferenças entre as três disciplinas, em relação aos aspectos que influenciam a produção/obtenção de dados, aos fatores que estimulariam ou inibiriam o compartilhamento de dados e aos fatores que estimulariam ou inibiriam o (re)uso de dados. Entre as conclusões, destaca-se que tais diferenças disciplinares constituem requisitos fundamentais para o desenvolvimento ou aperfeiçoamento de sistemas de informação que gerenciam dados de pesquisa.

The pathological diagnosis of the height of fatal falls: A mathematical approach

The authors analyzed the injury pattern of 385 victims of fall from a height which underwent a complete autopsy, with the objective to investigate whether it was possible to construct a mathematical model to be used for height of the fall diagnosis. The cases were selected and enrolled according to a balanced stratification of the heights of the fall, allowing a subdivision into seven classes consisting of 55 subjects each: 6m or less, 9m, 12m, 15m, 18m, 21m, 24m or more (maximum 36m). For each case anthropologic and necroscopic data was collected and analyzed to obtain a standardized description of the injury pattern was obtained, dividing the body into 4 major anatomical areas (Head, Thorax, Abdomen, Skeleton), each of them further divided in 5 major organs. Every organ was finally divided into 5 objective degrees of injury. Statistical analysis was performed on all the available data using IBM SPSS Statistics 20, to test the performance of the “injury pattern assessment table” in the diagnosis of the height of the fall and to develop a related mathematical model. Our findings confirm that the height of the fall is significantly associated with age, weight of the body and the injury pattern. An Injury Pattern Assessment Table and two mathematical models which correlates the height of the fall with analyzed variables are presented.

Is Anthropogenic Pyrodiversity Invisible in Paleofire Records?

Paleofire studies frequently discount the impact of human activities in past fire regimes. Globally, we know that a common pattern of anthropogenic burning regimes is to burn many small patches at high frequency, thereby generating landscape heterogeneity. Is this type of anthropogenic pyrodiversity necessarily obscured in paleofire records because of fundamental limitations of those records? We evaluate this with a cellular automata model designed to replicate different fire regimes with identical fire rotations but different fire frequencies and patchiness. Our results indicate that high frequency patch burning can be identified in tree-ring records at relatively modest sampling intensities. However, standard methods that filter out fires represented by few trees systematically biases the records against patch burning. In simulated fire regime shifts, fading records, sample size, and the contrast between the shifted fire regimes all interact to make statistical identification of regime shifts challenging without other information. Recent studies indicate that integration of information from history, archaeology, or anthropology and paleofire data generate the most reliable inferences of anthropogenic patch burning and fire regime changes associated with cultural changes.

The Population of the Bronze Age of the Lower Volga Region in the Works of Russian Anthropologists

Introduction. This work is a review of scientific publications on studying paleoanthropological materials of the Bronze Age originating from burial mounds of the Lower Volga region. Materials and Analysis. The paper begins with the analysis of articles and monographic studies of domestic authors, whose works were written in the period from the 30s to the late 80s of the 20th century. The so-called Soviet period in Russian anthropology is characterized by the dominance of the individual-typological approach in describing skeletal series of representatives of the Bronze Age cultures. The osteological collections from burial complexes of the Bronze Age of the Lower Volga region accumulated at this stage of the study were distinguished by a small number and low representativeness. The main conclusions were based on studying craniological samples. A great contribution to developing ideas on the racial and ethnic history of the Lower Volga region during this period was made by researchers G.F. Debets, V.V. Gizburg, V.I. Vuich, B.V. Firshtein, A.V. Shevchenko. The second part of the article is devoted to analyzing the results of anthropological research in the region in the works of modern Russian scientists.A distinctive feature of these works is that they are based on studying large-scale craniological series of broad temporal and territorial coverage. The studies of such scientists as A.A. Khokhlov, E.F. Batieva, A.A. Kazarnitsky, M.A. Balabanova use the complex approach in which classical methods of physical anthropology (craniology, osteology) are combined with the methods of statistical analysis and using data from Archaeology, Paleodemography, and Paleoecology. Results. The work shows the importance of using anthropological data as an independent source in paleohistorical constructions, as well as in the process of the archaeological study of various cultures of the Bronze Age that existed in the Lower Volga region.

Estimation of sex using discriminant function analysis of percutaneous finger lengths in Nepalese adults

Background: Disasters are a common occurrence in Nepal. This necessitates the development of baseline forensic anthropological data specific to the Nepalese population. Recent advances in the field of forensic medicine and sciences have somewhat reduced the relevance of forensic anthropology in the western developed world. The financial burden of these newer techniques, however, puts emphasis back on methodological examination of remains to establish identity.Objectives: To establish the sex of the individual from the percutaneous length of the fingers.Methodology: One hundred and twenty medical students (58 males and 62 females) were randomly selected and their finger lengths measured. These measurements were analyzed to establish discriminant functions to estimate sex.Results: The equation derived was Y = (1.822 x Left index finger length) + (1.141 x Left little finger length) – 19.211. Group centroids were calculated to be -0.933 for females and 0.998 for males. The sensitivity was found to be 76.9% and a specificity of 78.2%. Overall, the function correctly classified 77.5% of the original cases.Conclusion: Based on these findings, finger length is as reliable in estimation of sex of an individual as other longs bones and can be an ideal tool for examination, especially in remains where the skull and pelvis are absent or missing.

Living with observational data in biological anthropology.

The establishment of cause and effect relationships is a fundamental objective of scientific research. Many lines of evidence can be used to make cause-effect inferences. When statistical data are involved, alternative explanations for the statistical relationship need to be ruled out. These include chance (apparent patterns due to random factors), confounding effects (a relationship between two variables because they are each associated with an unmeasured third variable), and sampling bias (effects due to preexisting properties of compared groups). The gold standard for managing these issues is a controlled randomized experiment. In disciplines such as biological anthropology, where controlled experiments are not possible for many research questions, causal inferences are made from observational data. Methods that statisticians recommend for this difficult objective have not been widely adopted in the biological anthropology literature. Issues involved in using statistics to make valid causal inferences from observational data are discussed.

ПОГРЕБЕНИЕ ВТОРОЙ ЧЕТВЕРТИ II ТЫСЯЧЕЛЕТИЯ МОГИЛЬНИКА КОРДОН МИАССОВО 1 В ГОРНО-ЛЕСНОМ ЗАУРАЛЬЕ

On the basis of the interdisciplinary analysis of archaeological and anthropological data, a source-study analysis of burial 2 of the medieval burial ground ‘Kordon Miassovo 1’ in the mountain-forest Trans-Ural region was carried out. The comparison of the features of the burial rite, the accompanying inventory and the anthropological type of this burial with the one previously excavated was made. This allowed identifying their belonging to the single ancient group, determining the chronological framework of this burial ground within the XIII-XVI centuries, and taking this monument to one of the Trans-Ural groups of the Chiyalik culture.

VISION BASED AUTOMATED ANTHROPOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS AND ANALYSIS

Abstract. Modern techniques of optical 3D measurements such as photogrammetry, computer tomography, laser 3D scanning provide new possibilities for acquiring accurate 2D and 3D data of high resolution, thus creating new conditions for anthropological data analysis. Traditional anthropological manual point measurements can be substituted by analysis of accurate textured 3D models, which allow to retrieve more information about studied object and easily to share data for independent analysis. The paper presents the vision-based techniques for anthropological measurement and investigation needed in various applications, such as morphometric analysis, craniofacial identification, face approximation and other. Photogrammetric methods and their practical implementation in the automatic system for accurate digital 3D reconstruction of anthropological objects are described.

Atmospheric CO2 concentrations restrict the growth of Oxalis pes-caprae bulbs used by human inhabitants of the Paleo-Agulhas plain during the Pleistocene glacials

Humans that inhabited the glacial refugia in the Cape Floristic Region are assumed to have harvested and consumed plant underground storage organs (USOs) as an important carbohydrate source during the Middle Pleistocene. Botha et al. (2020, this issue), and others have demonstrated the rich resource that such plants might offer to early human gatherers. However, such studies do not correct for the likely reduction in plant productivity and USO yields related to much reduced CO2 concentrations typical of Pleistocene glacial periods. To assess the need for such a correction, we grew Oxalis pes-caprae, a species harvested by the human gatherers, at a range of CO2 concentrations from glacial to current. Decreasing CO2 concentrations to glacial levels almost halved the mass of bulbs produced, while biomass was preferentially allocated to roots and shoots, which were not significantly decreased relative to plants grown at current CO2 concentrations. This would have major implications for estimating the potential calorific return to foraging effort, as modelled using anthropological data and assuming that USO yields would be similarly affected. The model suggests that an almost doubled foraging effort would have been required at glacial compared to current conditions. This highlights the need to consider plant growth conditions and particularly atmospheric CO2 concentrations when extrapolating current anthropological studies to the past, which could be a major gap in understanding human dietary preferences in glacial conditions.

New anthropological data from Cussac Cave (Gravettian, Dordogne, France): In situ and virtual analyses of Locus 3

Cussac Cave presents a unique combination of parietal art and several hundred parts of scattered human remains, dated to the Middle Gravettian (29–28,000cal BP). The cave is protected as a National Heritage site. As a result, only noninvasive bioanthropological analyses are allowed, consisting of in situ observations and the study of 3D models obtained by photogrammetry. Here we present the first results of these analyses of the human remains from Locus 3. Only 65 of the 106 human skeletal fragments and bones could be firmly identified. Virtual analyses were carried out on 3D models of 16 skeletal elements so that osteometric data could be provided. Despite the limitations inherent in studying commingled remains and those specific to Cussac Cave, the search for virtual pair-matching, articular congruence, and osteometric sorting allowed the allocation of twelve bones to three individuals, one late adolescent and two adults.

Title Discoveries from the Forensic Anthropology Data Base: Modern American Skeletal Change & the Case of Amelia Earhart

In the mid‐1980s the University of Tennessee (UT) Anthropology Department began accumulating data from forensic cases that came into our laboratory and others around the country providing the first insight into skeletal changes occurring in the past 150 years. Also in the 1980s the UT Forensic Anthropology Center founded a willed body program to study human decomposition. The donated body program formed the basis for an unprecedented collection of modern American skeletons for skeletal biology research. Thus began the Forensic Anthropology Data base (FDB), which now contains osteometric data from over 4000 individuals, most of them of known age, sex, and ancestry, as well as height, weight, place of birth, place of death, and other premortem biological characteristics of interest (e.g. handedness, pathologies, occupation).The FDB data base has resulted in a number of major developments and discoveries, three of which will be summarized in this presentation: Documentation of remarkable change in cranial and postcranial morphology in the past 150 years. The cranium has become higher, longer and narrower during this time interval. The skeleton has also become more gracile, and limb bone proportions have changed. Development of a software package, Fordisc 3.1, that uses the FDB and sophisticated statistical algorithms to estimate sex, ancestry and height from bone measurements. The Fordisc software program has changed the face of forensic anthropology casework since its inception in 1993. Probable identification of Amelia Earhart by comparing estimates of her bone lengths based on photographs to lengths of bones found on Nikumaroro Island in 1940. Support or Funding InformationNational Institute of Justice 85‐IJ‐CX‐0021This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

3359 A TL1 Team Approach to Clinician Perspectives on Hoarding Disorder

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: By combining clinical knowledge of hoarding disorder (HD) with qualitative methods from cultural anthropology, we hope to build a patient-centered approach that will allow us to better understand the clinician perspectives on patient motivations and explanatory models of individuals with HD, and improve treatment outcomes. We describe the ways that these methodologies are productively merged in this project as a result of TL1 collaboration, and present a preliminary picture of methodological and theoretical issues uncovered as part of this processes. We further describe the analytical methods used for this project, and explore issues raised through the combination of psychological and anthropological data and insights. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This study represents an attempt to combine the qualitative methodologies of cultural anthropology with the clinical knowledge of psychology and psychiatry in order to better understand gaps between provider and patient beliefs and knowledge about hoarding disorder. This study will present preliminary methodological issues arising from interviews with hoarding experts. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: This study will discuss preliminary issues including shared language, strengths and limitations of both disciplines, and factors for consideration when combining these disparate methodologies. It will close with recommendations for consideration when moving forward with similar collaborations. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This project seeks to unite psychological and social factors that may contribute to the lived experience of individuals with HD in order to better understand the way that HD is manifested. It also unites disparate methodologies to provide us with a more holistic and complete picture of the experience of HD. While HD has been studied within psychiatry, it has never been assessed using the qualitative methods of anthropology. These methods provide the possibility of expanding knowledge about the ways that this disorder is experienced by individuals and their families, and potentially impacted by shared beliefs and cultures. Furthermore, qualitative data of this nature provides a patient perspective on the experience of HD as a psychiatric illness. This patient perspective can be used to better inform treatment, improve patient outcomes, and to allow providers and researchers to gain a fuller understanding of this complex population.

The re-discovery of Arma dell’Aquila (Finale Ligure, Italy): New insights on Neolithic funerary behavior from the sixth millennium BCE in the north-western Mediterranean

Evidence of Neolithic occupation at Arma dell’Aquila (Finale Ligure, Italy) had been unearthed in the 1930s, with the discovery of nine burials and a number of scattered human remains. The material, however, had never been systematically studied and characterized chronologically until recently. We performed a complete re-assessment of funerary behavior at the site, and studied for the first time the scattered human remains, cross-referencing the anthropological data with the spatial and stratigraphic information contained in the original excavation diaries, and with new direct radiocarbon dates on human bone. Results reveal the funerary use of the site throughout the sixth millennium BCE, when various cultural horizons belonging to the Impresso-Cardial cultural complex have succeeded one another, and during the fifth millennium BCE, when the Square Mouthed Culture was attested in Liguria. Five burials spanning the second half of the sixth millennium BCE were aligned head-against-head and feet-against-feet, crouched on their left side, and may be part of an organized funerary space used over a relatively long period of time. Among the nine individuals recognized from the scattered human remains, three date to c. 5750-5650 BCE, and represent the oldest human remains from a Neolithic context in the north-western Mediterranean. Arma dell’Aquila now constitutes an important source of information on the funerary behavior and biological makeup of Neolithic people of the sixth millennium BCE, a period for which little information was previously present in the region.

The accuracy of 3D virtual bone models of the pelvis for morphological sex estimation

It is currently unknown whether morphological sex estimation traits are accurately portrayed on virtual bone models, and this hampers the use of virtual bone models as an alternative source of contemporary skeletal reference data. This study determines whether commonly used morphological sex estimation traits can be accurately scored on virtual 3D pelvic bone elements. Twenty-seven intact cadavers from the body donation program of the Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, were CT scanned; this data was used to produce virtual bone models. Thereafter, the dry bones were obtained. Three traits by Klales (2012) and five traits from the Workshop of European Anthropologists (WEA) (1980) were scored on the virtual bone models and their dry skeletal counterparts. Intra- and inter-observer agreement and the agreement between the scores for each virtual bone model-dry bone pair were calculated using weighted Cohen’s kappa (K). For all Klales (2012) traits, intra- and inter-observer agreement was substantial to almost perfect for the virtual- and dry bones (K = 0.62–0.90). The agreement in scores in the virtual-dry bone pairs ranged from moderate to almost perfect (K = 0.58–0.82). For the WEA (1980) traits, intra-observer agreement was substantial to almost perfect (K = 0.64–0.91), but results were less unambiguous for inter-observer agreement (K = 0.24–0.88). Comparison of the scores between the virtual bone models and the dry bones yielded kappa values of 0.42–0.87. On one hand, clinical CT data is a promising source for contemporary forensic anthropological reference data, but the interchangeability of forensic anthropological methods between virtual bone models and dry skeletal elements needs to be tested further.

Metabolic Syndrome and Mortality in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A 5-Year Prospective Cohort Study

Background/Aims: Metabolic syndrome (MS) has been widely proved as a predictor of cardiovascular disease, all-cause, and cardiovascular mortality in general population. But its effects on mortality and technique failure have not been well illustrated in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We aimed to investigate the association of MS and clinical outcomes in Chinese continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) patients. Methods: A single-center, prospective, observational cohort study was conducted in CAPD patients enrolled from September 1 to December 31, 2011, and followed up until December 31, 2016. Demographic, clinical, biochemical and anthropological data were collected. The relationships between MS and mortality and technique failure were assessed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox Regression Survival Functions. Results: A total of 511 patients were enrolled. The baseline mean age was 48.4 ± 14.4 years, 282 patients (55.2%) were male, and 130 patients (25.4%) were diabetic. In total, 213 patients (41.7%) met the diagnostic criterion of MS. During a median of 4.4 years (interquartile range 2.3–5.3 years) follow-up period, 114 patients died, of whom, 65 patients (48%) died in MS group versus 49 patients (30%) in non-MS group. Patients who died tended to be older, higher in inflammation markers and with poorer nutritional state. Kaplan-Meier Survival Functions found patients with MS had a significant rising of all-cause mortality (log-rank test = 12.811, p < 0.001) and cardiovascular mortality (log-rank test = 14.529, p < 0.001) in all patients, and a significant rising of cardiovascular mortality (log-rank test = 4.486, p = 0.034) in non-diabetic patients. After adjusting for confounders, Cox Regression showed that MS was significantly associated with higher cardiovascular mortality in all patients (hazard ratio [HR] 2.21, 95% CI 1.12–4.36, p = 0.022) and in non-diabetic patients (HR 2.60, 95% CI 1.07–6.35, p = 0.036), but it has no significant effect on technique failure. Conclusion: In CAPD patients, MS predicted mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality. No relationship was found between MS and technique survival.

Cerámicas cubiertas de barro: datos de algunas vasijas del Segundo Periodo Intermedio/Reino Nuevo halladas en la tumba QH33 de la necrópolis de Qubbet el-Hawa, Asuán

Archaeological research carried out at Qubbet el-Hawa (Aswan, Egypt), led by Dr Alejandro Jiménez Serrano (University of Jaén, Spain), has brought to light some pottery vessels with abundant remains of mud bonded to their outer surfaces. The thickness of this mud, spread over the whole body of the vases, seems to indicate that these pots were intentionally covered in mud before being placed inside the tomb. All the vessels found with this peculiarity are large jars. Their sizes as well as other details related to their shapes and raw materials suggest that they were intended to transport and/or store offerings. The practice of intentionally covering the entire outer surface of large pottery vessels in mud is not widely attested in pharaonic times. The consulted bibliography offers examples of pots partially covered in mud, mainly restricting the area to the pot’s mouth in order to facilitate its sealing. This article presents the pottery types covered in mud found inside Tomb QH33. It advances some interpretative hypotheses that have been explored in order to gain an understanding of this practice. These are based on some few archaeological parallels as well as on ethnographic and anthropological data. It also presents some proposals on the use of mud in connection with ceramics in Pharaonic Egypt.

Первые результаты изучения палеоантропологических и археологических материалов из могильника Березовый Остров-1 (Новосибирское Приобье)

Purpose. This article aims at analyzing anthropological data from the burial ground Berezovy Ostrov-1. The materials studied belong to the Siberian population of the Early Bronze Age. We studied the demographic situation, dental and postcranial pathologies. We also analyzed the burial rites and inventory in terms of the sex and age of the buried. Our main aim was to characterize the lifestyle, the diet and the ritual practice of this micropopulation. Results. We estimated the safety of the anthropological materials related to the Early Bronze Age community from the burial ground Berezovy Ostrov-1, analyzed the sex and age composition and pathological status of the buried and compared the demographic data of the Berezovy Ostrov-1 micropopulation with the distribution of sex and age in the Sopka-2/3 and Sopka-2/3A groups, which attribute to the Ust’-Tartas culture. As a result of sex and age identification, we found some similarities of the demographic structure of the population studied and the Ust’-Tartas groups from the burial ground Sopka-2. As for the ritual rites, we can ascertain some regularity. Stone tools, arrowheads and ornaments as objects of the same nature are typical for women, as well as for men and children. At the same time, we observe no burials of cremated women, newborns and children under 2 years old. In terms of pathologies, Berezovy Ostrov-1 site is characterized by increased frequencies of linear hypoplasia, calculus and periodontal diseases and an average frequency of caries. We can assume that the basic diet of the population included meat and wild plants, which is typical for hunter-gatherers. An increased frequency of linear hypoplasia indicates a possible famine or transferred diseases at the stage of tooth enamel formation. Our comparison with the Neolithic and Odinovo groups of the Baraba forest-steppe indicates that the diet in the Berezovy Ostrov-1 group was similar to that in the Neolithic series from Vengerovo-2A. Conclusion. The first results of our analysis reveal general correspondence of the adaptation models observed on the territory of the Novosibirsk Ob region to the characteristics of the populations of hunter-gatherers. We draw a conclusion about difficult conditions for the population of Berezovy Ostrov-1 and acute shortage of food resources. Correlation of the sex-age characteristics of the buried with the peculiarities of the funeral rite allows us to assume that there existed a special burial rite for newborns and children under the age of one year.