Anthropology  

Kufterin V.V., Nasretdinov R.R., Gabitov R.N., Nechvaloda A.I.

A preliminary study of crania from the necropolis near Tura Khan Mausoleum (14th — 15th cc. AD, Southern Pre-Urals)

The article presents the results of preliminary study of eight male crania from the Early Muslim burials excavated at the necropolis near Tura Khan Mausoleum (Chishminsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan). The analysed crania are characterised by the predominance of a hypermorphic component of European ancestry. A possible slight admixture of Asian ancestry is indicated by the lowered nasal protrusion angle, large width and rather large height of the facial skeleton, as well as weakened horizontal profiling on some crania. Differences between fifteen samples are compared with Mahalanobis’ generalized distance by fourteen craniometric variables. The studied sample shows the greatest morphological similarity to that from the nearby Syntashtamak kurgan cemetery, the pooled sample of the Middle Volga region nomads, as well as two Chiyalik groups from the east of Tatarstan. The studied crania reveal less phenetic affinities with cranial samples from the Golden Horde Bolgar and its surrounding territory. To almost the same extent, this applies to the pre-modern samples of the southwestern Bashkirs and thus, the studied crania could represent a nomadic group or belong to semi-nomadic people of the Chiyalik culture. Facial reconstructions were performed for two of the crania.

Keywords: Middle Ages, archaeology, biological anthropology, cranial morphometrics, Mahalanobis’ generalized distance, facial approximation.

Mednikova M.B., Kovalev A.A., Petrovskaya K.A.

A pilot isotope study of lifetime mobility of the Early Iron Age population from the Minusinsk Basin

For the first time, we report data from isotopic study concerning lifetime mobility of the Early Iron Age inhabitants of the Minusinsk Basin, Southern Siberia. Using the mass-spectrometry method, we analysed the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in 22 samples of permanent teeth enamel from six burial sites of the Tagar and Tes’ archeological cultures (Tagarski Ostrov, Bainovsky and Podgornovsky stages; Beya 1, Podgornovsky stage; Samokhval, Kyzyl-Kul, Saragashensky stage; Arshanovo 30, early Tes’ Culture tomb; Podsukhanikha, Tes’ Culture ground graves). Analysis of the samples of nomadic or semi-nomadic population allows obtaining an average value reflecting human seasonal mobility around a vast area during the first ten years of individuals’ life. The ethnographic data suggests stable patterns of seasonal routes. All studied sites are located close to each other, with a maximum distance of 100 kilometers. Yet, the analysis demonstrates a variety of isotopic signals. The lowest 87Sr/86Sr values were found in samples from the Tagarsky Ostrov, Samokhval and Podsukhanikha burials (0.708311–0.708873), reflecting cattle and sheep grazing on loess soils widely present in the coastal zone of the Yenisei River. Different values were received for the samples from burial sites of Beya 1 (0.709002–0.709187) and Kyzyl-Kul (0.709117–0.709193), and the highest values were found in materials of the Arshanovo 30 mound (0,709284–0,70946). In the context of pilot study, it cannot be ruled out that people with elevated isotope signals could represent firstgeneration migrants.

Keywords: Southern Siberia, Tagar Сulture, Tes’ Сulture, strontium isotopes, human dental enamel.

Slepchenko S.M., Filimonova M.O., Ivanov S.N., Khrustalev A.V., Mednikova M.B.

Population of the Eastern Aral Sea region of the 1st millennium according to data from archaeoparasitology (experience of a pilot study)

The article presents the results of archaeoparasitology analysis of soil samples obtained during cleaning of sacrums of individuals of the Dzhetyasar archaeological culture (2nd–8th centuries AD) from burial grounds of the South-Eastern Aral Sea region. The purpose of the study was to reconstruct the diet, sanitary conditions of the settlements, and to identify possible directions of movements of the Dzhetyasar Culture population. During the study, eggs of intestinal parasites such as whipworm (Trichuris trichiura), oocysts of coccidia (Eimeria cameli) and broad tapeworm (Dibothriocephalus latus) were detected in soil samples. The data indicates the presence of freshwater fish in the diet of the population, moreover it also suggests poor hygiene, and potentially the use of faeces as fertilizer. The discovery of the broad tapeworm eggs possibly indicates migration links with northern regions such as Tuva, Mongolia and Western Siberia. The results align with the archaeological and anthropological data, supporting the multicomponent nature of the Dzhetyasar population and its connections with the nomadic groups of Semirechye, the Kyrgyz Alatau and Central Asia.

Keywords: archaeoparasitology, paleoparasitology, Early Middle Ages, Eastern Aral Sea region, migrations, paleodiet, sanitation, intestinal parasites, Dzhetyasarian archaeological culture.