Early Chersonesus Population Characteristics based on the Anthropological Materials from the Excavations by G.D. Belov
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2024.1.177.187Keywords:
archaeology, bioarchaeology, paleopopulations, paleopathology, Northern Black Sea region, ancient Greek colonies, V–IV centuries BCAbstract
The article presents the results of a study of the materials from the necropolis of the Chersonesus fortified settlement, dated V–IV centuries BC. 70 individuals were examined, the main attention was paid to determining the key demographic and paleopathological features of the group. The distribution of mortality rates is consistent with the standard for paleopopulations, both within the entire group and for its male and female subsets. The group is characterized by early age at death, moderately high infant (under 15) mortality, and a low proportion of elderly population. A high occurrence of routine non-lethal injuries cases as well as the cribra orbitalia prevalence might be defined as a notable feature of the group based on the results of the paleopathological analysis. All identified characteristics may reflect the group's adaptation to the new living conditions during the initial stages of the colony growth.
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