Email this article Child and adolescent paleoanthropological materials from the medieval Agarak burial ground (paleopathological aspect)
- Authors: Khudaverdyan A.Y.1
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Affiliations:
- Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia
- Issue: Vol 14, No 3 (2025)
- Pages: 97-110
- Section: Historical Sciences
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/2309-4370/article/view/357355
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.55355/snv2025143204
- ID: 357355
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Abstract
The article presents the results of a study of the skeletal remains of non-adult individuals from the medieval cemetery of Agharack (Aragatsotn Province, Armenia). The material includes the remains of sixteen children and adolescents unearthed during archaeological excavations and currently housed in the Laboratory of Physical Anthropology at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. The aim of the study is to assess the living conditions and biosocial status of the non-adult population of early medieval Agharack. The sex and age characteristics of the individuals were determined, and pathological changes in the cranial and postcranial bones were identified, reflecting living conditions, dietary patterns, and the impact of infectious diseases. Evidence of cribra orbitalia, periostitis, Harris lines, and other stress markers indicates a high level of physiological and infectious stress. The increased frequencies of physiological stress markers (particularly cribra orbitalia) and other pathological indicators are interpreted not as signs of maladaptation, but rather as evidence of adaptive responses of the child segment of the Agharack population to environmental stressors. Of particular interest is a case of unintentional parietal cranial deformation in one individual, probably associated with carrying loads on the back. The obtained data contribute to a better understanding of the demographic and biosocial characteristics of the medieval population of Armenia.
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##article.viewOnOriginalSite##About the authors
Anahit Yuryevna Khudaverdyan
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia
Author for correspondence.
Email: akhudaverdyan@mail.ru
candidate of historical sciences, senior researcher of Paleoethnobiology Group
Armenia, YerevanReferences
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Figure 1 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1 – focus of inflammation, finger–shaped indentations; 2-4 - manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"
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Figure 2 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1 – enamel hypoplasia, manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 2-9 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 4, 5 – Harris lines; 6 – bone outgrowth; 10 – tuberculous manifestations
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Figure 3 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1 – skull injury; 2, 3, 5, 6 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 4 – enamel hypoplasia; 7 – traces of gnawing; 8 – periostitis; 9 – tuberculous manifestations; 10, 11 – Harris lines
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Figure 4 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1, 3 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 2, 4 – Harris lines; 5 – tuberculosis manifestations
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Figure 5 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1, 3 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 2 – Harris lines; 4 – tuberculosis manifestations
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Figure 6 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1, 3, 5 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 2, 4 – Harris lines
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Figure 7 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1 – finger–shaped indentations; 2 – tuberculous manifestations; 3, 4 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 5, 6 - Harris lines
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Figure 8 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1, 2 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 3 – Harris lines
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Figure 9 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12 – manifestations of the "cribrotic syndrome"; 7, 9, 11, 13 – Harris lines; 4 – trabecular structure of the handle; 5 – tuberculous manifestations; 2 – tartar
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Figure 10 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1 – endocranial changes, finger–shaped indentations; 5, 6 – periostitis; 2, 3, 4, 6 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 7 - Harris lines
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Figure 11 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1, 3, 5 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 2, 4, 6 – Harris lines
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Figure 12 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1 – unintentional deformation; 2-4, 6, 9, 10 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 5, 7, 8 – Harris lines
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Figure 13 – Preservation of skeletal bones and paleopathology: 1 – intracranial pressure; 2, 3, 5 – manifestations of "cribrotic syndrome"; 4, 6 – Harris lines
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Figure 14 – Parietal deformity (tump-line deformity)
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