Contacts
Address: 30 Butlerov str., Kazan, 420012, Russian Federation
Теl.: +7 (843) 236-55-42.
E-mail: arch.pov@mail.ru
E-mail: kazan.archaeology@gmail.com
Archive » The Volga River Region Archaeology Vol.2 (16) 2016
Postcranial Skeleton Morphology of the Population of Bolgar (by materials from dig CXCI)
Makarova E.M., Sitdikov A.G. Bocharov S.G. (Simferopol, Russian Federation)
page 244–259UDC 572
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24852/pa2016.2.16.244.259
The article characterizes a series of postcranial skeletons of a population group from
Bolgar settlement dated by the Golden Horde time. The anthropological material was
obtained during archaeological excavations in the north-western part of the site in 2013 (dig
CXCI). Remains of 23 individuals were analyzed with the help of an osteometric program: 8
men and 15 women, all having a mesomorphic skeleton structure.
The male remains demonstrate a better development of muscles on the humerus and
femur, suggesting that shoulder and thigh were the most physically loaded parts in the
lifetime of these individuals. Comparatively heavy bones of the lower limbs are the most
remarkable feature of the analyzed female skeletons. A comparison of male and female
skeletons showed strong resemblances, indicating a weakly developed sexual dimorphism.
Values of the reconstructed body height allow supposing that men were quite tall, while
women were rather short. The new materials compared to the earlier studied osteological
series from Bolgar settlement (necropolises: dig CXCI, Khan's Shrine, Small Minaret, the
'Quadrangle') confi rmed resemblances between the groups according to the above features.
Keywords
archaeologyanthropologythe Middle Volga regionBolgar hillfortGolden Horde timeosteometryphysical type of the population
About the author(s)
Makarova Ekaterina M. Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. Butlerov Str., 30, Kazan, 420012, the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation; ekaterina.m.makarova@gmail.com
Sitdikov Airat G. Doctor of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology named after A. Kh. Khalikov, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. Butlerov Str., 30, Kazan, 420012, the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation; sitdikov_a@mail.ru
Bocharov Sergei G. Candidate of Historical Sciences. Institute of Archaeology of Crimea of Russian Academy of Sciences. Academician Vernadsky Ave., 2, Simferopol, 295007, Crimea, Russian Federation; sgbotcharov@mail.ru