Archaeological Context of Burials with Ancient Plague of Mikhailovsky II Burial Mound in the Steppe Volga Region

Abstract

In 2018, geneticists presented the results of a special study conducted within the framework of studying the problem of the origin and evolution of Yersinia pestis – the bubonic plague. Apparently, the most ancient strain of this virus known to date comes from the Mikhailovsky II burial mound located in Samara Oblast. Excavations of three barrows at this site in 2015 revealed materials from the initial stage of the Late Bronze Age associated in the steppe Volga region with the Pokrovka type of the Srubnaya cultural and historical community. The authors publish information about the burial complexes of barrows 2, 3, 7, three of which (barrow 3, burials 2, 5, 9) actually contained remains with the gene samples of the Yersinia pestis strain. Along with descriptions of burials and grave goods from the excavated portion of the Mikhailovsky II burial mound, the paper features details of the ceramics manufacturing technology, as well as the results of anthropological studies. The fact that the most ancient form of plague was discovered in the materials of the Srubnaya culture, perhaps, makes another contribution to the range of issues related to the study of the Late Bronze Age of Eurasia.

Keywords

• archaeology
• yersinia pestis
• bubonic plague
• genetic studies
• anthropological studies
• burial mound
• burial complexes
• ceramics manufacturing technologies
• pokrovka type
• srubnaya historical and cultural community
• late bronze age
• volga region