Catacomb Tribes of the Sarpa Lowland (Caspian Depression): Morphology of Long Bones and Characteristics of Physique

Abstract

Introduction. The paper examines osteometric data from Middle Bronze Age Catacomb burials across the Sarpa Lowland to characterize some skeletal features and identify if there is any homogeneity degree between male and female samples. Material and methods. The sampling comprises 33 adult individuals, including 22 males and 11 females. The postcranial measurement methodology follows the program of R. Martin edited by V. P. Alekseev and employs the rubrics of osteological features proposed by Y. Y. Roginsky, M. G. Levin, V. V. Bunak and A. G. Tikhonov. Analyses of longitudinal dimensions and reconstructed body lengths involve D. V. Pezhemsky’s rubrics. Statistical processing of numerical data implemented using the Excel program of the standard Microsoft Office package. Results. The investigated samples show medium-massive upper limbs and elongated lower ones. Osteological arm lengths in males and females cluster with the category of mean values — 585.1 mm and 534.1 mm, respectively. Osteological leg lengths also have mean values — 831 mm in males and 757.4 mm in females. The average reconstructed male body length is 170.8 cm, while the female one is 157.9 cm. The observed signs of well-developed skeletal muscles attest to essential physical exertions during labor activities. In general, the obtained results indicate some heterogeneity of postcranial samples in the Middle Bronze Age Catacomb culture population of the Sarpa Lowland.