Dietary Patterns of the Karasuk Culture Population of Southern Siberia (Based on Materials from the Kyurgenner-1, -2 Burial Grounds)

The article provides an analysis of the distribution of dental and maxillofacial conditions in a skeletal series from the Karasukperiod burial grounds Kyurgenner-1 and -2. The study aims to determine the dietary composition of the bearers of Karasuk traditions in the Minusinsk Basin, to assess the general level of population stress associated with food shortages, and to identify the specific features of their dietary adaptation in relation to their pastoral economic specialization, supplemented by hunting activities and possibly agriculture. The skeletal material was examined according to a program for recording dental conditions, which included the documentation of caries, dental calculus, antemortem enamel chipping, periodontal diseases, enamel hypoplasia, and antemortem tooth loss. The obtained data were compared with those of the aggregated Karasuk group using pairwise comparison and Pearson’s χ-square test. Furthermore, the frequency distribution of conditions was considered in the context of other Bronze Age populations from southwestern Siberia. The results show that, within the studied Karasuk population, there was no differentiation in the distribution of dietary resources among sex and age groups. The plant component in their diet was of very limited significance, and, based on archaeological evidence of the group’s pastoral specialization, it can be inferred that animal-derived products formed the core of their subsistence, while the inclusion of plant foods was not widespread. Moreover, the population did not face critical episodes related to food shortages. Comparison of distribution of dental conditions among groups with different economic patterns revealed that the Karasuk series from Kyurgener-1 and -2 shows the greatest similarity to the Okunevo group, which practiced pastoralism and hunting, as well as to the Late Bronze Age groups of southwestern Siberia characterized by mixed subsistence strategies

Age groups · Bronze Age · Enamel paint · Population · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Paleopathology and ancient diseases