Anthropology  

Comprehensive study of the early Yakut Sergelyakh burial of the XV — beginning of the XVI centuries

Bravina R.I., Dyakonov V.M., Nikolaev E.N., Petrov D.M., Syrovatskiy V.V. (Yakutsk, Russian Federation),

Bagashev A.N., Poshekhonova O.E., Slepchenko S.M., Razhev D.I., Alexeeva E.A. (Tyumen, Russian Federation),

Zubova A.V., Kuzmin Ya.V. (Novosibirsk, Russian Federation)

The paper presents a comprehensive study of graves which relate to rare burial sites of the early stage of ethnic history of the Yakuts. The burial belongs to an equestrian warrior. It is confirmed by the findings of the horse harness and fragments of weapons, including a part of a Central Asian composite bow which is unique to the Yakuts, arrowheads and a blade of palma (Siberian pole weapon). The vertebral pathologies and morphological features of femurs also point at riding as a usual way of transportation. Multiple injuries of bones indicate to an aggressive lifestyle. The death of the man was caused by a penetrating injury of the head with a bladed weapon. Craniological characteristics of the man correspond to the South Siberian populations characterized by a combination of Caucasoid and Mongoloid features. In this case, the latter prevails. The ritual funerary complexes correspond to the Ust-Talkin culture, which alongside with cranial features of the man enable us to associate Sergelyakh burial with Turkic part of the Sakha people, which is epically correlated with the legendary Elley Bootur.

Key words: Sergelyakh burial, Ust-Talkin culture, the Yakuts, craniometry, skull, physical type, paleopathology, population.

DOI: 10.20874/2071-0437-2016-35-4-090-109

12.12.2016

R.I. Bravina

Institute for Humanitarian Research and North Indigenous Peoples Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science,

Petrovskii st., 1, Yakutsk, 677027, Russian Federation

E-mail: bravinari@bk.ru

V.M. Dyakonov

Institute for Humanitarian Research and North Indigenous Peoples Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science,

Petrovskii st., 1, Yakutsk, 677027, Russian Federation

E-mail: dyakonov_vm@rambler.ru

E.N. Nikolaev

Institute for Humanitarian Research and North Indigenous Peoples Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science,

Petrovskii st., 1, Yakutsk, 677027, Russian Federation

E-mail: nikolaev.ykt@gmail.com

D.M. Petrov

Institute for Humanitarian Research and North Indigenous Peoples Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science,

Petrovskii st., 1, Yakutsk, 677027, Russian Federation

E-mail: dmpetrov-92@mail.ru

V.V. Syrovatskiy

Institute for Humanitarian Research and North Indigenous Peoples Problems, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science,

Petrovskii st., 1, Yakutsk, 677027, Russian Federation

E-mail: syrovatskiy123@gmail.com

A.N. Bagashev

Institute of Problems of Development of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Malygin st., 86, Tyumen, 625026, Russian Federation

E-mail: bagashev@mail.ru

O.E. Poshekhonova

Institute of Problems of Development of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Malygin st., 86, Tyumen, 625026, Russian Federation

E-mail: poshehonova.olg@gmail.com

S.M. Slepchenko

Institute of Problems of Development of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Malygin st., 86, Tyumen, 625026, Russian Federation

E-mail: s_slepchenko@list.ru

D.I. Razhev

Institute of Problems of Development of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Malygin st., 86, Tyumen, 625026, Russian Federation

E-mail: rajevd0@gmail.com

E.A. Alexeeva

Institute of Problems of Development of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Malygin st., 86, Tyumen, 625026, Russian Federation

E-mail: alekseeva.elena.ae@gmail.com

 A.V. Zubova

Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, prospect Acad. Lavrentieva, 17, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation

E-mail: zubova_al@mail.ru

Ya.V. Kuzmin

Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Science, prospect Acad. Koptyuga, 3, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russian Federation

E-mail: kuzmin@fulbrightmail.org