CRANIOLOGY AND SEX-AGE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE UZHHOROD CASTLE CHURCH BURIALS OF THE SECOND HALF OF 14TH – 17TH CENTURIES

Abstract

The remains of 130 burials from the territory of the destroyed castle church in Uzhhorod were collected and investigated for two years (2018–2019). These are 71 ground burials outside the crypt, one preserved burial inside the crypt, and 58 skulls (or fragments thereof) from demolished crypt burials that are morphologically indistinguishable from preserved outside the crypt burials. That served the reason to combine them into one series. Chronologically, all the anthropological material belongs to the second half of the 14th – 17th century. This article aims to characterize the anthropological structure of people buried in the church on the territory of Uzhhorod Castle, namely the sex-age aspect and features of their craniological type. The article aims to introduce new craniological data into the scientific circulation and identify the main directions of ethnic connections of the studied group from Uzhhorod. The paper’s objective is to determine the distances between individual synchronic and diachronic series with the help of multidimensional canonical and cluster analysis and to find out the place of the Uzhhorod sample in the system of craniological types of Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe (except the Caucasus) and phenogeographical anthropological zones of Ukraine. Computer software designed by B. Kozintsev and O. Kozintsev in 1991 has been used in the research. Fourteen craniometric traits defined by R. Martin have been involved in the analysis. It is established that 118 out of 130 burials belong to adults. It is defined that 86 (72.88%) of them are male, and 32 (27.12%) are female. The average age of death in adults is about 38 years (it varies from 33.5 to 42.5 years). The average age of death of the male part of the sample is about 40 years (within 30–50 years), and of the female part – about 32.5 years (within 25–40 years). For the first time, the male and female series from Uzhhorod was created. In general, 90 skulls (67 male and 23 female) were suitable for craniometry, not counting children’s ones. It has been found out that males and females buried in the church of Uzhhorod Castle belong to the same craniological type. The male sample is moderately brachycranic. On average, it is presented with a wide with a strongly profiled at the level of the orbits and alveolar ridge face belonging to the orthognathic type. The orbits are wide. The nose is medium, and the nasal protrusion angle is moderate. The nasal bridge is high. The female sample is, on average brachycranic. The face is moderately wide with small height, strongly profiled at the level of orbits belonging to the orthognathic type. The orbits have small widths and heights. The nasal bridge is high. The nasal projection angle is very large. According to two anthropological methods (craniometry and cranioscopy), the examined group is mixed, demonstrating certain western, northern, and predominant southern traits. When comparing the male sample group to synchronic and diachronic series and samples from the territory of Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe by the method of multidimensional canonical and cluster analysis, its partial similarity to the Polish sample of the skulls from the Church of Mary Magdalena (Wroclaw), the Volyn series from the village of Ratniv, and to a lesser extent – to the Baltic group of the 14th – 17th century from Martinsala (Latvia) has been determined. The same comparison of the female group has revealed its certain similarity to the Kyiv sample from Podil (Yurkivska Street) according to the results of the multidimensional canonical analysis. According to cranioscopy data, the similarity of the studied group (male and female) to the Lviv and Berestechko series (north-eastern direction of connections) has been revealed at this stage.