Balabanova M.A. Morphology of Child Burials of Early Nomads in the Lower Volga Region (Based on Materials of the Burial Mounds of Early Sarmatian Time)
Mariya A. Balabanova, Doctor of Sciences (History), Head of Department of Archaeology, Foreign History and Tourism, Volgograd State University
Prosp. Universitetsky, 100, 400062 Volgograd, Russian Federation,
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Abstract. The article is devoted to morphology of child burials of the Early Sarmatian time in the Lower Volga region, which have been studied on the basis of five burial mounds –Berezhnovka, Kalinovka, Kovalevka, Pervomaysky, Peregruznoe I. During the analysis the following age groups of children have been studied: 0-4 years; 5-9 years; 10-14 years (from 132 child burials). The age was specified within the framework of these three age groups in all cases. Besides, the infant burials (from newborns to one year old) were studied both separately and in their age group (0-4 years). The results show that there was a high level of child and infant mortality rate in all burial mounds. The mortality of children depended on age and decreased from the first age group (0-4 years) to the last one (10-14 years). The peculiarities of the funeral rite and its content in the burials of things were also directly related to lifespan and the possible status of the deceased child, which was increasing with aging. The research results show that the presence of burial equipment in child burials was less required than, perhaps, in burials of adults or adolescents which were noticeably distinguished by the more frequent presence of burial equipment and not found in the burials of children of younger groups. The conducted research allows concluding that children were involved in everyday life in Early Sarmatian society, and their role increased with aging. It apparently reflected the utilitarian attitude to the children, as value of children was defined by their contribution to the family welfare. That’s why in the period of famine, which was not rare in nomadic societies, young children died first.
Key words: children, adolescents, mortality table, burial rite, age cohort, child mortality, socialization, burial equipment.
Citation. Balabanova M.A., 2017. Morphology of Child Burials of Early Nomads in the Lower Volga Region (Based on Materials of the Burial Mounds of Early Sarmatian Time). The Lower Volga Archaeological Bulletin, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 62-82. DOI: http://doi.org/10.15688/nav.jvolsu.2017.1.5
Morphology of Child Burials of Early Nomads in the Lower Volga Region (Based on Materials of the Burial Mounds of Early Sarmatian Time) by Balabanova M.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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