Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
1) Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dm. Ulyanova str., 19, Moscow, 117292, Russia; 2) Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Institutskiy per., 9, Dolgoprudny, Moscow region, 141701, Russia
Mednikova Maria B. PhD (biology, physical anthropology), D Sci. (archaeology); ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1918-2161; medma_pa@mail.ru; Mustafin Kharis Kh., PhD (Technology, Physics); ORCID ID: 0000-0001-8891-2319; kh-mstf@yandex.ru; Alborova Irina E., PhD (Biology); ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1950-3885; ira_teuchezh@mail.ru; Engovatova Asya V., PhD (History); ORCID ID: 0000-0003-3109-2764; engov@mail.ru.
Introduction. On the space of the European continent the 3rd millennium BC was a time of important cultural transformations and migrations. The article is devoted to the description and interpretation of skeletal injuries found during the examination of the male skeletons of the Fatyanovo archaeological culture, and the results of genetic analysis. These data can be considered as additional independent evidence of the migration of the Central European population to the Russian Plain. Materials and methods. All the specific consequences of antemortem traumas that we encountered come from materials obtained during excavations of the Volosovo-Danilovo burial ground in the Yaroslavl region, the largest Fatyanovo burial site. The anthropological study combined visual inspection and microfocus radiography. As part of the paleogenetic analysis, the study of nuclear DNA microsatellites was used. The work was carried out on the basis of the Laboratory of Historical Genetics of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Results and discussion. The consequences of injuries in men from the Volosovo-Danilovo burial ground were well-healed wounds to the bones of the left arm, in the area of the elbow joint and hand. The closest analogies to the discovered injuries were previously described traumas of representatives of the Corded Ware cultures in Germany (Eulau site) and in Poland (Kruszyn), where mostly they were interpreted as military (defensive) wounds. Quantitative assessment of the quality of the genetic material showed very high parameters for ancient DNA. The 27-marker panel was almost completely covered. Samples from the three studied male burials (№№22, 24, 57) showed belonging to a sub-branch of the haplogroup R1a (M448>M417> S224). In 10 out of 14 loci, the allele values for individuals from Eulau and the Volosovo-Danilovo burial ground coincide (the allele values differ only by one grade), which indicates the relative proximity of individuals in terms of paternal descent. Conclusion. Intravital injuries of the left arm in the elbow joint and hand of men in the Volosovo-Danilovo burial ground testify to similar tactics of battle among the Fatyanovo warriors of the Upper Volga and the Corded men of Germany and Poland. The features serve as an independent indicator of their belonging to a single cultural community. The paleopathological study finds confirmation in the results of paleogenetic analysis showing a connection with the Central European population of the Corded Ware culture (Eulau site).
Bronze Age; Corded Ware cultures; skeletal trauma; Upper Volga region; ancient DNA analysis
DOI: 10.32521/2074-8132.2022.1.086-101
Цит.: Mednikova M.B., Mustafin H.H., Alborova I.E., Engovatova A.V. Intravital skeletal injuries of the bearers of the Fatyanovo culture in the light of archeological and genetic data // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2022; 1/2022; с. 86-101 (Published: June 23, 2022)
Download text