Differentiation of the Population of the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Based on Paleopathology Data (A Case Study of the Excavated Materials of Altyn-Asar 4 Burial Grounds)

Abstract

For the first time, a contextual consideration of some paleopathological manifestations on the adult skulls from the excavations of the Altyn-Asar 4 (n=363) burial grounds is proposed, which makes it possible to indirectly assess social stratification degree of the population of the Eastern Aral Sea region and the chronological dynamics of some indicators reflecting the quality of life of the population of the era of migrations. Comparison of the total samples selected according to chronology (2nd century BC – 2nd century AD, 2nd – 4th centuries, 4th – 6th centuries) revealed consistently high frequencies of enamel hypoplasia, intercalary bones on the cranial vault and metopic suture. In the sample of 2nd – 4th centuries, a downward trend in the frequencies of caries and abscesses was traced. When correlated with the type of burial structures (crypts of 2 types, soil pits of 4 types), a better state of health of the dental system was revealed in individuals in crypts of the first type, and, in general, in those buried in crypts compared to those buried in the soil pits. The most diverse picture is obtained from the analysis of the materials from the detached cemeteries. The frequencies of discretely varying features confirm the previous conclusions about the heterogeneity of the anthropological composition in the Jetyasar population, in particular, of the migrant origin of those buried in the Altyn-Asar 4m burial ground. Variations in the frequency of dental pathologies, anemia, and enamel hypoplasia may reflect differences in the lifestyle and quality of life of those buried in different necropolises, for example, different levels of dietary stress. A high number of skull injuries, including fatal wounds caused by military weapons, indicate the aggressive nature of the social environment. The greatest number of such damages is observed in the 2nd – 4th centuries‘ series.

Keywords

• early iron age
• early middle ages
• burial rite
• paleopathology
• indicators of physiological stress