Buzhilova A.P.

Morphology of Denisovan molars: problems of taxon identification in the context of genetic data

Attempts to analyse fragmentary specimens of Denisovan remains in conjunction with archaeological and genetic data may be a useful experience in the search for taxonomically valuable traits. The paper presents the results of a dental analysis of 3 permanent molars and 1 deciduous tooth of the upper and lower jaws of different individuals, representing different stages of the Denisovan (Homo altaensis or Homo s. denisovan) existence in the territory of modern Altai during the Pleistocene. The chronological age of the finds is marked by a wide interval from about 300–200 kyBP to 84–55 kyBP. The materials were obtained during excavations in Denisova Cave (Northwestern Altai). The presence of both exceptional megadontia and obvious hominin features in the odontoglyphics of Denisovans allows us to discuss this feature as the most characteristic. The crowns of the teeth show certain proportions, with a relative reduction of the hypocone, but the dimensions of this tubercle are consistently larger than in other hominins (with the exception of Homo heidelbergensis and Neanderthals, who often show the same variations, but with different proportions and less crown size). Often, the chewing surface shows features characteristic of anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals, but at the same time the teeth are marked by the presence of unique combinations characteristic of hominoids, not hominins. The tooth of a representative of a later wave of migration shows a greater number of unique combinations than the tooth of a representative of an early wave of migrants to Altai. It is possible that the later populations of Denisovans showed a founder effect during selection, crystallizing, among other things, rare phenotypes, for example, unique combinations of chewing surface relief.

Keywords: Altai, Pleistocene hominins, Denisovans, Homo altaensis, Homo s. denisovan, odontology, paleogenetics.

 

Nelyubov S.A., Dobrovolskaya M.V., Merkulov A.N.

On the role of millet in the Don forest-steppe region population diet in the Bronze and Early Iron Age according to bioarchaeological studies

The purpose of this study is to find out in what historical period millet penetrates the forest-steppe Don region (Central Black Earth Region) and becomes the basis of the plant diet of region population. For this purpose, an isotope analysis was carried out on 25 samples of human remains, as well as the bones of four animals discovered in burials of the Pre-Scythian period. The studied materials come from the Bronze Age — Early Iron Age (3rd millennium BC — 8th century BC) barrow field — Filatovka (Lipetsk region) and the Sarmatian period (1st–2nd centuries) cemetery without mounds of the Maloye Storozhevoye hillfort (Voronezh region). For comparison, we used nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes data for individuals of the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age of Don forest-steppe region, obtained earlier. The first traces of the systematic millet consumption were recorded among people from Pre-Scythian period (8th–7th centuries BC) burials. In Scythian times, millet formed the basis of preferences in plant foods for a significant part of the studied individuals, and by the beginning of our era in the analyzed materials, millet displaces other plant crops from the nutritional complex, which we consider as a cultural adaptation to the conditions of climate aridization.

Keywords: cultural adaptation, trophic models, nitrogen and carbon stable isotope analysis, Don forest-steppe region, Late Bronze and Early Iron Age populations.

 

Pererva E.V.

Cribra orbitalia and Porotic hyperostosis on bone remains of the Bronze Age population from the Lower Volga region (search for the proliferation causes)

This study is devoted to defining the occurrence frequency of Cribra orbitalia and Porotic hyperostosis signs based on the data obtained and establishing the reasons for the spread of these pathological conditions in the study groups. The material for the study is series dating back to the Early, Middle and Late Bronze Ages from the Lower Volga region kurgan mounds. When analyzing bone remains, the occurrence of porotic hyperostosis on the skull and cribra orbitalia was taken into account. To identify significantly significant differences in the incidence of pathological abnormalities, the groups were compared using non-parametric mathematical criteria. Statistical calculations were carried out in the StatSoft, Inc. shell. (2011) STATISTICA. As a result of the study, it was established that the factors influencing the occurrence of signs of hemolytic diseases in the study group could be endemic malaria, helminths, as well as nutritional stress caused by systematic starvation, lack of vitamin C, folic acid, cobalamin and iron.

Keywords: porotic changes on the skull, Bronze Age, Lower Volga region, pathologies.

 

Mednikova M.B., Kanapin A.A., Samsonova A.A., Morgunova N.L.

Between Volga and Ural River basins: concerning family ties of the Abashevo and Sintashta population of the Bronze Age in the context of genetic data