A Study of Human Bones from a Dwelling at Ust-Voikar, in the Subarctic Zone of Western Siberia

• Published in: Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia
• Main Authors: O. V. Batanina, Y. N. Garkusha, A. V. Zubova, A. V. Novikov, D. V. Pozdnyakov
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: IAET SB RAS 2020
• Subjects: paleodiet; Ust-Voikar; burial; dwelling; physical anthropology; dental anthropology; paleopathology; Subarctic; Yamal Peninsula; Siberia
• Online Access: https://journal.archaeology.nsc.ru/jour/article/view/838; https://doi.org/10.17746/1563-0110.2019.47.4.140-153

This article discusses bones of two males from a medieval or recent double burial at Ust-Voikar, on the Yamal Peninsula. The camp was constructed by northwestern Siberian natives. Both individuals had been buried in a hearth inside a dwelling, which was still used after that. The results of tree-ring analysis suggest that the burial dates to the last third of the I7th century, or the first decade of the I8th century. Both males were adult (adultus-maturus). Their physical features point to the northern East European Plain. The unusual nature of the burial, then, evidently stems from the fact that they were intruders. No lethal injuries suggestive of violence were found on the bones. Both individuals show signs of malnutrition during childhood (deficiency of vitamin C and phosphorus). Their diet consisted mostly of carbohydrates (apparently coarse cereals). The entheses and articular surfaces likely indicate physical activity, such as sailing and fishing with nets.