Paleopathology Data on the Early Sarmatians of 4th – 3rd Centuries BC from the Lower Volga Region

Abstract

The main idea of the article is to study paleoanthropological materials of the nomads dating back to the 4th – 3rd centuries BC from the territory of the Lower Volga region using paleopathological methods. The reason for addressing this topic was an attempt to identify pathological features of the early nomads from the Sarmatian epoch due to the existence of the problem of identifying monuments of 4th – 3rd centuries BC. The standard assessment program of pathological conditions on postcranial skeleton and skull bones developed by A.P. Buzhilova was applied in the course of work with the anthropological material [Buzhilova, 1995; 1998]. The main material for the current study was the bone remains of 16 individuals originating from burials under the barrows of early Sarmatian era within the territory of the Lower Volga region, dated 4th – 3rd centuries BC. As a result of the conducted research it was established that there is a common genetic origin, which unites all nomads of the early Iron Age of the South Russian steppes for the Savromatian-Sarmatian tribes. Furthermore, the settlement of population across the Volgograd Trans-Volga region in the 4th – 3rd centuries BC happened by the arrival of mainly male part of the population who adopted successfully to the negative environmental factors. The diet of the Sarmatians of the early Sarmatian culture development was based on meat and dairy products. A striking feature of the Sarmatians of the 4th – 3rd centuries BC is a lack of signs of inflammatory processes, which indicates an insignificant density of nomadic groups migrating to the Trans-Volga steppes. The high frequency rate of injuries and signs of exposure to low temperatures was detected among early Sarmatians compared to the nomads from a later period may be a result of a complex political situation provoked by a difficult environmental situation due to extremely continental climate and its aridization at that epoch.

Keywords

• sarmatians
• lower volga region
• chronological groups
• paleopathology
• trauma
• nomads