This paper reviews the anthropological type of Sarmatian elite using craniological data which were obtained from the burials of the middle Sarmatian time. Elite complexes include burials where objects of material culture are represented with the symbols of power such as pectoral, torc, golden bracelets, silver and bronze cookware sets, clothes sheathed with gold plaques and so on. Reconstruction of a complex funeral rite, as well as grave goods, allow assuming that leaders of Sarmatian tribal unions were buried in such burials. Female elite burials are traditionally interpreted by archaeologists as burials of priestesses. The anthropological material, which is investigated in this paper, was obtained from the burials corresponding to the elite burial complexes in a varying degree and came from the burial mounds of the Volgograd and Astrakhan regions and the Republic of Kalmykia. The series of 11 skulls (6 male and 5 female) was used for the study. Individual characteristics of skulls from the elite burials shows their significant morphological diversity. The series includes the skulls which can be characterized as both long-headed Europoid type and wide-headed Europoid type, which is often combined with moderate horizontal profiling. Both series of different genders from the elite complexes differ in the direction of increasing massiveness as compared with the total average of Sarmatian series. Thus, comparing the male series, the arithmetic mean values of the elite group features demonstrate big massiveness, and standard deviations-a large intragroup variation. As for the female series, although both compared groups are different, but there are fewer differences than at comparing the male series.

This paper reviews an anthropological aspect of the artificial skull deformation which was practiced by the tribes of catacomb cultural-historical community of the Middle Bronze Age of the Lower Volga region and adjacent territories. Craniological series, numbering 207 skulls, was checked for the presence of deformation traces. 81 skulls had the traces of deformation, which is 35,2% of the total number. On average, the percentage of deformed skulls in some burial grounds of the catacomb culture of the Volgograd Region is about 17,0%, but there are a few burial grounds in craniological series where deformed skulls are absent. The type of deformation is identified as annular and frontal-occipital. The analysis of anthropological works of Russian and foreign authors as well as written sources allows to agree with the idea of A.V. Shevchenko that the custom of the skull deformation among the tribes of catacomb cultural-historical community penetrated through the cultural centers of Western Asia. The comparison of deformed and unstrained series of skulls showed that only signs of the cerebral box undergo a change under the influence of the deforming structure in most cases. The deforming effect of the structure on facial features is very weak. When the process of pressure is completed, the skull acquires a tower shape or a shape of a high cone.

Abstract. As V.P. Alekseev wrote, the succession of population has been peculiar for individual territories for centuries. Despite the fact that the Eastern European steppe in ancient times and the Middle Ages was characterized by frequent changes of the population due to its high dependence on the environmental conditions, the Sarmatian culture preservation was observed over a period of ceremonial standards and elements of material culture.In this paper an attempt is made to show the presence of a partial succession of the three chronological periods of Sarmatian population. To do this, the author conducted a comparative characteristic of physical types of nomads of Sarmatian steppes of the Eastern Europe. The results of the study of mass craniological material combined in the cultural and chronological groups, showed that on the whole range of time and space over the steppe habitat Sarmatian cultures fixed partial similarity in physical type.In this connection, it is assumed that the partial continuity of anthropological types of different cultural, historical and local groups is linked to: 1) partial preservation of substrate Early Sarmatian population over the 4th-3rd centuries BC -first half of 2nd-4th centuries AD; 2) the direction and character of penetration of nomadic groups who migrated from the East into steppe space; 3) design of a single system of seasonal migrations which involves the presence of winter and summer camps, and the presence of burial mounds; 4) the inclusion of a horde of nomadic pastoral population groups moved all over the steppes, from between Volga and Ural to the Lower Don; 5) the fact that male migrants married local women.Key words: Sarmatians, early nomads, anthropological type, longitudinal diameter, migration, continuity, substrate. УДК 94(470).01Дата поступления статьи: 11.11.2015 ББК 63.3(2)2-9 Дата принятия статьи: 07.02.2016 К ВОПРОСУ О ПРЕЕМСТВЕННОСТИ НАСЕЛЕНИЯ САРМАТСКОГО ВРЕМЕНИ ВОСТОЧНО-ЕВРОПЕЙСКИХ СТЕПЕЙ Мария Афанасьевна БалабановаДоктор исторических наук, профессор, Волгоградский государственный университет mary_balabanova@mail.ru просп. Университетский, 100, 400062 г. Волгоград, Российская Федерация Аннотация. В данной работе делается попытка показать наличие частичной преемственности у сар-матского населения трех хронологических периодов. Для этого проводилась сравнительная характеристика антропологических типов кочевого населения сарматского времени степей Восточной Европы. Результаты исследования массового краниологического материала, объединенного в культурно-хронологические груп-пы, показали, что на всем временном диапазоне и на протяжении степных пространств ареала сарматских культур фиксируется частичное их сходство в антропологическом типе.В связи с этим предполагается, что частичная преемственность антропологических типов различных культурно-исторических и локальных групп связана: 1) с сохранением какой-то части субстратного ранне-

The article is devoted to the issues of continuity and innovations in Sauromatian and early Sarmatian cultures and in the population of anthropological type. To resolve this issue, the archaeological database of 5 Sauromatian and 48 early Sarmatian burials was used. The anthropological database consists of 31 measured skulls of the early Sarmatian epoch (4 th -1 st centuries BC). The anthropological material was studied by methods of one-dimensional and multidimensional statistics.The authors pay a special attention to the syncretic character of a number of burials of Sauromatian and early Sarmatian culture in the period of its appearance on the Volga region territory in the late 4 th -the early 1 st c. BC. The instability of the burial rite is manifested in the combination of typically Sauromatic continuity of orientating in the latitudinal direction with northern and southern orientations, locating swords along the body instead of the Sauromatian tradition -on the belt obliquely, preserving the Sauromatian practice of accompanying a deceased with food in the form of the cattle side. These facts testify to the complex processes of interaction between the substrate and superstrate population, which were not limited only to the act of conquest.The results of the anthropological study suggest that the morphological appearance of the early Sarmatian population is similar to the rest of the synchronous population and is characterized by the Sarmatian type or the type of ancient Eastern Caucasians, combining meso-brachicrania with the moderate horizontal profiling of facial skeleton at the upper level with a sharply protruding nose.The total group of skulls was relatively homogeneous in terms of the intragroup structure. It is dominated by the type of wide-headed Caucasians with some intragroup variations in horizontal facial profiling. The morphological type of chronological women's groups of the 3 rd and 2 nd centuries BC witnesses about the continuity of the population.

This article presents characteristics of special rituals, rites and customs identified in Sarmatian cultures of Eastern Europe. For example, a group of prone burials of the Late Sarmatian time was distinguished in the course of the research. As shown by the comparative historical analysis of the prone burials, this society differed from other synchronous groups of the population in the relatively mass nature of such burials. Analysing the details of the burial rite does not provide an unambiguous explanation of the motivation of prone burials. Most likely human sacrifices and ritual killing of the elderly and old people were possible there, and such burials could be associated with harmfulness of the dead. In addition to this rite, a group of burials with the observed post-mortem and antemortem rites in relation to the head / skull was distinguished. First, this is decapitation and performance of certain rites with the head / skull. After this the skull was either placed in the burial or kept with the people (burials of postcranial skeletons). Second, the skull could be placed in a separate grave (partial burials). Third, after separation the skull could be subject to trepanation, which was a ritual function. Intravital trepanation was carried out for medicinal purposes. The rare rite of scalping can be attributed to military customs. Since the frequency of occurrence of special rites in relation to the skull and head in Sarmatian cultures is small, they could be connected either with the antemortem status or with the circumstances surrounding the death of a person. The most common practice was the custom of deliberate deformation of the head, which performed both utilitarian and symbolic functions.