Bioanthropological research of human skeletal remains from the Srubno-Alakul mound at Selivanovka II cemetery (Southern Trans-Urals)

Abstract

The article presents some results of an anthropological study of a skeletal sample (19 individuals) from the excavation of the mound 1 Selivanovka II cemetery (Southern Trans-Urals), performed in 2000. Cultural identity of this burial place is defined as mixed Srubno-Alakul with Alakul dominance. There are no tombs of mature and senile individuals. In double tombs adult (and perhaps sub-adult) individuals of different sexes are buried. Sub-adult subgroup demonstrates a lag in the rate of longitudinal growth from the modern standards. The individual metrics of adult individuals are similar. In body proportions, the adults are close to the populations of the «steppe» morphological type, on the one hand, and to the Chalcolithic — Bronze Age groups of Central Asia, on the other. The latter is manifested in elongation of tibias in some skeletons from Selivanovka. Excessive frequency of some epigenetic markers may indicate close relationship of the buried individuals.

Keywords

• bioanthropology
• Srubno-Alakul population
• Selivanovka II cemetery
• Bronze Age
• Sou-thern Trans-Urals