Chernyakhov Culture population?

[Егоров Владимир]

Mike,

I suppose it would be of interest for you to look at results of a skull investigation accomplished by a Ukrainian anthropologist.

The translation of the abstract to English is mine, with some little curtailments.

 

Cheers,

Vladimir

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

T.A. Rudich.

Chernyakhov Culture Population in Ukraine on Anthropological Evidences.

(As a result of 409 skulls investigation)

 

The anthropological analysis allows us to speak on belonging of Chernyakhov culture’s population to the great Caucasoid race and its significant heterogeneity. The represented anthropological types belong to both the northern and southern circles of the Caucasoids. The population in each region had a complicated anthropological structure, with diverse genetic lines fixed. Some of the lines were associated with the aborigine population, others ― with migrants from the central and northeast areas of Europe. Despite the mentioned heterogeneity, it is possible to select, for each region, dominating morphological types that show different directions of the anthropological links.

The Chernyakhov population of the west Ukraine exposes significant nearness to population of the Maslomench group of the Wielbark culture in Poland. This applies to both men and women though they have a different dominating base. The male type (dolichocranic and hypermorphic with small faces) may originate from the Celtic environment. The sources for the female type (mesocranial with medium wide faces) are difficult to reveal, but it is relevant, in the historic perspective, to medieval west Slavonic groups.

Population of central Ukraine’s region looked most mixed. Three directions of the anthropological links were mark out. One (mesocranial mesomorphic with medium wide faces) was close to the population of the late Scythians. Second (harshly dolichocranial hypermorphic with medium wide faces) resembled Baltic of the I-V cc. Third (dolichocranial with small faces) belonged to the Polish Wielbark population. The analogous situation was seen on the left Dnepr’s bank: A southern character of the anthropological links for men, and northwestern (toward the Baltic Sea) for women.

Essentially mixed was the population of the Black Sea’s coast. Inhabitants of Bug’s banks were formed on the basis of the late Scythians and the antic environment. A north European basis was found for inhabitants of lower Dnepr (some parallels with Westgothic series, burials in Baltic of the I-V cc., the Germans of the VI-XI cc.). Practically all sources were represented in Budjac.

...

The picture of the anthropological composition was highly influenced by the burial bi-ritualism. Obviously, the Chernyakhov’s people preserved rites which they had practiced in original habitats. The successors of the late Scythian, La Ten, and partially Wielbark cultures, the Baltic groups of the I-V cc. preferred interment customs, while the most part of the Germans and Slavs, which, in the judgment of archaeologists, dominated among culture carriers, gravitated towards cremation.

 

 

________________________________

From: gothic-l at yahoogroups.com [mailto:gothic-l at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Michael Erwin
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 11:28 PM
To: gothic-l at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [gothic-l] Chernyakhov Culture population?

 

Hails,

What are the current scholarly estimates of the Chernyakhov Culture 
population? I've worked out some of my own based on the estimates for 
the Roman Empire, the terrain, etc.

Mike Erwin

 



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