Burials of Sugoklea Barrow. Palaeopathological Aspect of the Study

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of the study is to identify the causes of differences in the diseases profile, as well as sex and age indicators of different groups of people of the Yamnaja and Babino cultures buried in Sugoklea barrow on the border of the steppe and forest-steppe areals of the Nothern Pontic region. Methods. The basic classical methods for determining the individual sex, age and body height are used in the study. In the paleopathological part the frequency of dental, metabolic and infectious diseases was evaluated. Analysis. The people of the Yamnaja culture buried in Sugoklea barrow represent a “randomly formed” group. The average age of death in men of the Yamnaja group is 45.7. In adults of the early group penetrating head injuries, traces of routine infections, and oncological diseases are determined; in children, the consequences of infections and deficient diseases caused by dietary restrictions during roaming are found. In the late group, several people show the symptoms of a latent form of tuberculous meningitis. The significant loads on the teeth (wear and tear, enamel injuries), especially after 30–40 years, the absence of caries, total calculus indicate the diet consisting of hard, unrefined, mainly protein foods. The pressure of environmental factors on the population of the Babino culture group was expressed in the high frequency of the prenatal stress markers. The number of individuals with episodic stress markers is small. Most men and women died between the age of 25 and 40 (possibly due to the negative influence of environmental factors). The complex of teeth and periodontium pathologies indicates a fibrous, proteinrich, mainly meat diet, as well as significant loads on the dental system caused by using dried fish and meat, shellfish, nuts for food. Both men and women had a high percentage of exostoses of the external ear canal along with a high incidence of middle ear diseases. This phenomenon suggests a certain dependence of the group on water resources. Results. Both groups of the Yamnaja culture are parts of the migrating nomadic population engaged in grazing or exchange. The combination of pathological signs and occupational markers allows us to consider the group of the Babino culture as cattle-breeding populations and confirm the migration theory of the origin of the syncretic funeral rite in this region.