Ancient burial mounds are among the most mysterious objects of archaeology. Researchers from Moscow University told about their discoveries made in the Vonyuchka-1 burial mound near Pyatigorsk. They discovered the remains of three people who were buried at different times and belonged to different tribes.
Originally, the mound was elevated for a young woman with a trepaned skull who lived about 4,000 years ago during the Eneolithic period. But later the mound was used to bury the Sarmatians, an ancient nomadic tribe that inhabited the steppe zone from the Southern Urals to the Danube. Three burials made by the Sarmatians in the III-I centuries B.C. were found exactly in the Vonyuchka-1 burial ground.
Anthropologist Natalia Berezina conducted a study of the remains of three people. She determined that in two of the graves rested young women who were between 20 and 29 years old at the time of death. Both women had dental anomalies – underdeveloped enamel or partial adentia. The bones of both women also showed signs of chronic inflammation and anemia.
The male skeleton, which is best preserved, was a 40- to 49-year-old horseman. Changes on his bones indicate that he spent a lot of time in the saddle and was right-handed. However, his skull shows signs of chronic inflammation and a broken nose, which could be the result of interpersonal violence.
Research on the remains of ancient people provides insight into the life and customs of those times. Abnormal dental development and other signs of disease indicate that taking care of dental health and overall health was important to people of those times. Changes in the bones of men indicate that horseback riding was common in ancient times and was of great importance in people’s lives.
