People, Places, Buildings and Society (Part 1)

Modern methods of physical anthropology in Russian Science

Craniological and osteological materials originated from various grave-yards during long time were used as a base for the studying of people origin, their development, demographic and metizational processes, the expanding of a human along oikumena, adaptation to the geographical and social environment of habitation and iterrelation with this environment. Methodical approaches used in the investigations of anthropological data are rather various. It is the researching of the skeleton morphology and his internal structure, the determining of the mineral contents of bones, and reconstructing of the character of physical activity, nourishment and diseases. In this paper I consider some aspects of formation of population of the Eastern Europe from the Mesolithic period to the mediaeval times on the base of the complex anthropological materials. The results of anthropological studies are co-ordinated with the correspondent archaeological data.

Family structure among Metsk tribes

The north-western Caucasus, the basin of Duban river, during the VIII century BC - III century AD were inhabited by tribes known under the general name - the Meotes. They were agriculturists and a part of them was included into the Bospor kingdom. A small group of the Meotes migrated to the mouth of the Don river. Polemon told about the Meot woman Tirgatao. According to this source the Meotes practised the monogamy patricocal marriage. There were permitted divorces and secondary marriages as for men so for women also. The author investigated at the Podazov site the rests of 34 dwellings. Only 11 preserved well and therefore it was possible to reconstruct their arrangement. There were only two dwellings with large ovens for the 'baking of bread'? Consequently, such oven was exploited by inhabitants of 5 - 6 dwellings and we can suppose the existence of an extended family, consisted of 5 - 6 married pairs, for whom the food was prepared in one of the dwellings.

Distinguishing local groups among early medieval catacomb cemeteries in the North Caucasus

The first step of the investigation was distinguishing the local groups of catacomb cemeteries. It was made by means of a cluster analysis of 100 cemeteries on the base of two variables (longitude and latitude). The analysis leads to the conclusion that it is possible to isolate 11 local groups of cemeteries. They include 1070 flat and barrow catacombs of different chronological periods. Next step was the investigation of the difference between burial rite characterizing flat graves and barrow burials and between catacombs of different periods among these two main classes. At last there was a study of the difference between catacombs of various local groups. The study was based on the comparison of burial constructions and of burial rite by means of descriptive and multivariate statistical methods.

This work was supported by the Research Support Scheme of the OSI/HESP, grant No.: 693/1996.

Environment, space and settlement of Asian Eskimo (eastern Chukotka)

Ancient Eskimo cultures in Bering strait region specialized on marine resources (whales, walruses, ringed seal). Their economy determined their settlement system. On the base of data from 16 sites, one may see the main factors influencing on location of settlements: distance from seashore; height above the sea surface; way to the seashore; type of beach; opportunity of observation; lagoon; type of soils; climate; available of main marine resources (ways of whale's migration, rookeries). Because of changing of seashore, the sites of first century AD situated 13 - 14 m above sea surface, the latest sites situated 3 - 4 m above sea surface. Dwellings were settle down along seashore, making a single line. Main exploited resources differed from one settlement to another, it might be walruses, ringed seals or whales, but all settlements were situated on places, where maximum number of resources were observed and available. Seacoast of Chukotsky peninsula has a small number of localities which were useful for such settlements, so there were a lot of sites, containing deposits of all ancient Eskimo cultures (Okvik, Old Bering sea culture, Punuk, Birnirk and Western Thule).

The Archaeology of the Undead
 

generally overlooked, facet of the dead is the fear engendered in the living through the "undead". The undead are best known through vampires, and historical and archaeological evidence indicates a belief in vampirism in eastern Europe until recently. More widespread was a generalised belief that the dead continued to play an active, malevolent, role in the community, demonstrated by archaeological evidence from the iron Age, especially bog bodies, to the medieval period.

Acceptance that belief in the undead was a potent factor in communities' attitude to the dead at all levels, from location of burial to body treatment, enables a better understanding of the relationship between people, places and the dead.

Biological adaptation in the ancient Euroasian Eskimo society)

Asian Eskimo is the most ancient aboriginal people of the Arctic coast. The archaeological investigations of the ancient sea-mammal hunters are connected with the important problems of the prehistoric man. Eskimo paleopopulations are using as a models of the hard surrounding adaptations. For these problems solution it is very important the Ekwen cemetery research. This ancient Eskimo site is situated on the north-eastern Chukotka seashore. Recent radiocarbon dating led us to conclude that the most early burials appears at the I-II cc. BC and last ones are concerning about the XV - XVI cc AD. Investigation of this site is very significant both for the funeral ceremony reconstruction and for the ancient biological adaptation research too. The comparative anthropological investigation of the ancient and modern Eskimo populations have demonstrated similarity of the adaptive peculiarities. The main processes consisted in organism's energy system optimization, blood-building intensification, oxygen assimilation improvement.

Human Environmental Relationships in the Pre-Columbian Venezuelan Savannas (900-1400 AD) and Neolithic Denmark (3500-3100 BC)

Archaeologists have developed considerably more sophisticated procedures for investigating human-environmental relationships than they once possessed. Multidimensional approaches are illuminating areas of epistemological confusion created by duellist paradigms, which treat nature and culture as ontologically antithetical domains. Rich information on a previously unimagined diversity of past social ecologies is renewing interest in comparative projects. This paper examines a multivariate model to understand the roles of ceremonial feasting, specialist crafting, and networks of trade and exchange in the ecological histories of pre-Columbian Venezuela (900-1400 AD) and Neolithic Denmark (3500-3100 BC). A motivating hypothesis is that these activities figured centrally in relationships between the techniques people employed to utilize resources and deal with environmental perturbations; socio-political processes; and the ways people metaphorically objectified their social and physical surroundings. Examining this hypothesis against comparative data may contribute to discussion of new ways to avoid dualism in accounts of social ecologies based on archaeological data.

The Battle of Towton: Analysis of a Medieval Mass Grave

In September 1996 part of a mass grave, dating from the battle of Towton (1461 AD) was uncovered during a rescue excavation. A 3D computer image of the grave and the relationship of the individuals within it was created in order to understand the sequence of burial. A minimum number of 45 individuals were recovered who all show evidence for trauma, which is particularly concentrated on the skull region. There is evidence for healed lesions as well as peri-mortem trauma consisting of three types of injuries: blunt force and sharp force trauma and projectile injuries. The excavation and analysis of this site has allowed for an insight into the brutal nature of medieval warfare. While documentary sources can tell us why wars were fought, and the surviving weaponry can show us with what wars were fought, it is only through the individuals who partook in the conflicts that the true nature of warfare becomes apparent.