Skeletal Remains Repository of the Kalmyk Scientific Center (RAS): Anthropological Materials from Children’s Catacomb Burials Reviewed

Introduction. The article examines Middle Bronze Age (Catacomb culture) skeletal remains of children and adolescents housed at the Kalmyk Scientific Center (RAS) and attempts an evaluative insight into how informative those can be. Analyses of children and youngsters’ burials may deepen the understanding of ancient societies, actualize data on mortality and health conditions faced by non-adults. Goals. The osteological collection of Kalmyk Scientific Center (RAS) includes skeletal remains of over one and a half thousand individuals from burials dated to the Bronze Age throughout the Late Medieval Period. Nowadays the latter are being systemized, and a complete database is being compiled. The arrangements have revealed materials from children’s burials. Thematic reviews are aimed at identifying certain aspects of scholarly significance inherent to the skeletal remains repository created at Kalmyk Scientific Center (RAS) and provide additional research insights into collected anthropological materials. Materials and methods. The review involves skeletal remains of children and adolescents numbering 129. In terms of cultural chronology, the bulk of the latter come from Catacomb burials, i.e. the Middle Bronze Age. So, the work scrutinizes the mentioned cluster of remains from 43 individuals. The compiled tables describe key characteristics. Peculiarities of the selected samples are also identified, and statistical analysis proves instrumental therein. The findings are compared to data on funeral practices provided by archaeologists for wider ranges of sites. Results. The study shows that conditions of bones are fine enough for both traditional anthropological evaluations and genetic, radiocarbon, isotopic ones. The analysis of funeral practices characterizing children’s Catacomb burials concludes the latter showed no essential differences from those of adults, i.e. virtually identical are proportions of main and inlet burials, structural patterns of burial graves, and characteristics of accompanying utensils excavated. 

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