Revisiting pathological conditions on artificially deformed skulls of the Middle Bronze Age from the Lower Volga region

Abstract

Introduction. The paper defines pathological conditions arguably developed as the result of the cranium deforming practices.

Material and methods. One hundred and fifty-eight brain capsules dating back to the Middle Bronze Age were studied; 42 showed traces of artificial deformation. Comparison of the series of normal and deformed skulls was carried out on the basis of 21 signs identified. The author compared frequencies of pathological conditions between the deformed and non-deformed skulls using nonparametric Mann-Whitney and Pearson's Chi-square (χ2) tests. Thus, differences in the occurrence of traits in the two independent samples was assessed. Additionally, we tested the association between 14 features using Spearman's correlation coefficient (r-Spearman's).

Results. As a result of the comparative analysis, it was possible to establish statistically significant differences in the series of adult individuals between the non-deformed and deformed skulls in three following categories: hyperostosis frontalis interna, external exostosis of the auditory canal and injuries of the cranial vault. The identified pathological conditions are prevalent on the skulls artificially deformed skulls. No significant differences were identified between the compared groups of children and adolescents.

Conclusion. The absence of significant differences for most of the pathological conditions, such as the state of the dentition, growth processes, the development of intracranial hypertension, inflammatory processes and mechanisms that cause metabolic disorders, indicates that artificial deformation does not have a significant effect on the development of the pathology of this character. On the contrary, hyperostosis frontalis interna is a pathological condition that may have been stimulated by the impact of artificial deformation. The high incidence of external exostoses of the auditory canal and injuries on the deformed skulls are most likely markers of the social or ethnic affiliation of the population that practiced this custom.

It should be stated that, intentional artificial deformation of the cranium is quite compatible with a normal health state and human activity. © 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

References

Balabanova M.A., Sycheva A.V. Rentgenologicheskoe issledovanie pozdnesarmatskikh cherepov [Radiological investigation of the late sarmatian skulls with deliberate deformation]. Iskusstvennaia deformatsiia golovy cheloveka v proshlom Evrazii. OPUS: Mezhdistsiplinarnye issledovaniia v arkheologii [Artificial deformation of human head in Eurasian past. OPUS: Interdisciplinary Investigation in Archaeology], 2006, 5, pp. 152–163. (In Russ.).

Balabanova M.A. Antropologicheskii aspekt obychaia iskusstvennoi deformatsii cherepa u naseleniia epokhi srednei bronzy Nizhnego Povolzhia i sopredelnoi territorii [Anthropological aspect of the artifitial Skull deformation custom among the middle bronze age population of the Lower Volga region]. Samarskii nauchnyi vestnik [Samara journal of science], 2018, 7, 4 (25), pp. 219–227. (In Russ.).

Batieva E.F. K voprosu ob iskusstvennoi deformatsii cherepa na Nizhnem Donu v epokhu srednei bronzy [On the issue of artificial deformation of the skull on the Lower Don in the Middle Bronze Age]. In Aktualnye napravleniia antropologii. Sbornik, posviashchennyi iubileiu akademika RAN T. I. Alekseevoi [Actual directions of anthropology. Collection dedicated to the anniversary of Academician T. I. Alekseeva]. Moscow, IA RAN Publ., 2008, pp. 2633. (In Russ.).

Bereczki Zs., Marcsik A. Artificial cranial deformation in Hungary. Iskusstvennaia deformatsiia golovy cheloveka v proshlom Evrazii. OPUS: Mezhdistsiplinarnye issledovaniia v arkheologii [Artificial deformation of human head in Eurasian past. OPUS: Interdisciplinary Investigation in Archaeology], 2006, 5, pp. 96–114.

Bobin V.V. Iskusstvenno deformirovannye cherepa, naidennye pri raskopkakh v Krymu [Artificially deformed skulls found during excavations in the Crimea]. Trudy kafedr normalnoi anatomii i gistologii s embriologiei [Proceedings of the departments of normal anatomy and histology with embryology]. Simfiropl, 1957, pp. 46–73. (In Russ.).

Buzhilova A.P. Drevnee naselenie (paleopatologicheskie issledovaniya) [Ancient Population (Paleopathological Research)] Moscow, Izd-vo IA RAN, 1995. 189 p. (In Russ.).

Buzhilova A.P. Bioarkheologicheskie podkhody k izucheniiu deformirovannykh cherepov iz Priaralia (po antropologicheskim materialam mogilnika Kosasar-2) [Bioarchaeological approaches to the investigation of deformed skulls from the Aral sea region (Anthropological materials from cemetery Kosasar 2)]. Iskusstvennaia deformatsiia golovy cheloveka v proshlom Evrazii. OPUS: Mezhdistsiplinarnye issledovaniia v arkheologii [Artificial deformation of human head in Eurasian past. OPUS: Interdisciplinary Investigation in Archaeology], 2006, 5, pp. 164–177. (In Russ.).

Buzhilova A.P., Sokolova M.A. Paleopatologicheskii analiz serii s iskusstvenno deformirovannymi cherepami (po materialam sarmatskogo perioda) [Paleopathological analysis of the series with deliberately deformed skulls (According to the materials from the sarmatian period)]. Iskusstvennaia deformatsiia golovy cheloveka v proshlom Evrazii. OPUS: Mezhdistsiplinarnye issledovaniia v arkheologii [Artificial deformation of human head in Eurasian past. OPUS: Interdisciplinary Investigation in Archaeology], 2006, 5, pp. 188–197. (In Russ.).

Buzhilova A.P., Sokolova M.A., Pererva E.V. Ob endokrinnykh narusheniiakh u kochevykh narodov (na primere otdelnykh predstavitelei sarmatskoi kultury) [Concerning endocrine complications among nomadic peoples]. OPUS Mezhdistsiplinarnye issledovaniia v arkheologii [OPUS: Interdisciplinary Investigation in Archaeology], 2005, 4, pp. 203–216. (In Russ.).

Zaichenko A.A., Kochenkova O.V., Anisimova E.A., Anisimov D.I., Lukin O.Iu. Zakonomernosti obliteratsii zubchatykh shvov cherepa cheloveka (obzor) [Patterns of obliteration of serrated sutures of the human skull (review)]. Saratovskii nauchno-meditsinskii zhurnal [Saratov Scientific Medical Journal], 2011, 7 (3), pp. 567–572. (In Russ.).

Kazarnitskii A.A. Naselenie azovo-kaspiiskikh stepei v epokhu bronzy (antropologicheskii ocherk) [The population of the Azov-Caspian steppes in the Bronze Age (an anthropological essay)]. St. Petersburg, Nauka, 2012. 264 p. (In Russ.).

Kazarnitskii A.A., Kapinus U.O., Grigirev A.P. Ob iskusstvennoj deformacii cherepov stepnyh kul'tur epohi bronzy [On the artificial deformation of the skulls of the steppe cultures of the Bronze Age]. Stratum plus [Stratum plus], 2021, 2, pp. 307–318. (In Russ.).

Kozintsev A. G. Etnicheskaia kranioskopiia [Ethnic cranioscopy]. Leningrad, Nauka, 1988. 185 p. (In Russ.).

Koltunov D.E., Belchenko V.A. Diagnostika sindromalnykh form kraniosinostozov [Diagnosis of syndromal forms of craniosynostosis]. Voprosy prakticheskoi pediatrii [Questions of practical pediatrics], 2013, 8 (3), pp. 52–55. (In Russ.).

Kurmaeva E.A., Kulakova G.A., Soloveva N.A. Kraniosinostoz v praktike uchastkovogo pediatra [Craniosynostosis in the practice of a local pediatrician]. Rossiiskii vestnik perinatologii i pediatrii [Russian Bulletin of Perinatology and Pediatrics], 2019, 64 (2), pp. 100–101. (In Russ.).

Makletsova N.P. Rentgenologicheskoe izuchenie iskusstvenno deformirovannykh cherepov drevnikh epokh iz Srednei Azii i Povolzhia [X-ray study of artificially deformed skulls of ancient eras from Central Asia and the Volga region]. Problemy etnicheskoi antropologii i morfologii cheloveka [Problems of ethnic anthropology and human morphology]. Leningrad, LGU Publ., 1974, pp. 165–172. (In Russ.).

Pererva E.V., Moiseev V. I. Vnutrennii lobnyi giperostoz na kostnykh ostankakh sarmatov Nizhnego Povolzhia i Nizhnego Dona (k voprosu o prichinakh proiavleniia endokrinnykh narushenii u kochevnikov rannego zheleznogo veka) [Hyperostosis frontalis interna on the skeletal remains of the sarmatians of the Lower Volga and the lower don (to the question of causes of the endocrine disorders in the Early Iron Age)]. Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriia 4, Istoriia. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniia [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2018, 23 (6), pp. 18–43. (In Russ.).

Pererva E.V. Rentgenologicheskoe issledovanie deformirovannykh cherepov epokhi srednei bronzy s territorii Nizhnego Povolzhia: (Paleopatologicheskii aspekt) [X-ray screening of the artificially deformed skullsfrom the middle bronze age of the Low Volga region (Paleopathology aspect)]. Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriia 4, Istoriia. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniia [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2013, 24, 2, pp. 7–19. (In Russ.).

Pererva E.V., Balabanova M.A., Zubareva E.G. Kollekciya iskusstvenno deformirovannyh cherepov nauchno-uchebnogo kabineta-muzeya antropologii Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta (Paleoantropologiya): nauchnoe izdanie [Collection of artificially deformed skulls of the scientific and educational cabinet-museum of anthropology, Volgograd State University (Paleoanthropology): scientific publication]. Volgograd. FGBOU VPO Volgograd branch of RANEPA Publ., 2013. 116 p. (In Russ.).

Pererva E.V., Diachenko A.N. Marker stressa ili migratsii (K voprosu ob intrepretatsii ekzostoza slukhovogo prokhoda na kostnykh materialakh naseleniia epokhi srednei bronzy iz mogilnikov Nizhnego Povolzhia) [A stress or migration marker (a study of the auditory canal exostosisin the skeleton material of the middle bronze age population from the Lower Volga region burial grounds)]. Vestnik arkheologii, antropologii i etnografii [Vestnik Arheologii, Antropologii i Etnografii], 2017, 4 (39), pp. 61–78. (In Russ.).

Khokhlov A.A. Cherepa s iskusstvennoi deformatsiei epokhi bronzy Volgo-uralskogo regiona [The bronze age skulls with artificial deformation from the Volga-Urals region]. Iskusstvennaia deformatsiia golovy cheloveka v proshlom Evrazii. OPUS: Mezhdistsiplinarnye issledovaniia v arkheologii [Artificial deformation of human head in Eurasian past. OPUS: Interdisciplinary Investigation in Archaeology], 2006, 5, pp. 47–52. (In Russ.).

Khudaverdian A.Iu. Bioarkheologicheskie podkhody k izucheniiu sledov iskusstvennogo vozdeistviia na cherep (na primere populiatsii epokhi bronzy i rannego zheleznogo veka s territorii Armenii) [Bioarchaeological approaches to the study of traces of artificial impact on the skull (on the example of populations of the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age from the territory of Armenia)]. Vestnik arkheologii, antropologii i etnografii [Vestnik Arheologii, Antropologii i Etnografii], 2016, 1 (32), pp. 101–112. (In Russ.).

Khudaverdian A.Iu. Iskusstvenno deformirovannye cherepa i zuby iz mogilnika Beniamin [Artificially deformed skulls and teeth from the Beniamin burial ground]. Vestnik obshchestvennykh nauk [Bulletin of Social Sciences], 1997, 2 (595), pp. 138–144. (In Russ.).

Shevchenko A.V. Antropologiia naseleniia iuzhnorusskikh stepei v epokhu bronzy [Anthropology of the population of the southern Russian steppes in the Bronze Age]. In Antropologiia sovremennogo i drevnego naseleniia Evropeiskoi chasti SSSR [Anthropology of the modern and ancient population of the European part of the USSR]. Leningrad, Nauka, 1986, pp. 121–215. (In Russ.).

Bjork A., Bjork L. Artificial deformation and cranio-facial asymmetry in ancient Peruvians. Journal of Dental Research, 1964, 43 (3), pp. 353–362.

Flohr S., Witzel C. Hyperostosis frontalis interna – A marker of social status? Evidence from the Bronze-Age “high society” of Qatna, Syria. HOMO – Journal of Comparative Human Biology, 2011, 62, pp. 30–43.

Gerszten P.C. An investigation into the practice of cranial deformation among the pre-Columbian peoples of Northern Chile. Int. J. Osteoarchaeology, 1993, 3, pp. 87–98.

Godde K. An Examination of Proposed Causes of Auditory Exostoses. Int. J. Osteoarchaeology, 2010, 20, pp. 486–490.

Hilgeman S. L. Artificial cranial deformation and porotic hyperostosis at Angel site, Wanderburgh county, Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, 1988, 98, pp. 83–91.

Jackson G. Etiology of exostoses of the external auditory meatus. British Medical journal, 1909, 2, pp. 1137–1138.

Lobo D.R. Exostosis of the external auditory canal. World journal of Otorhinolaryngology, 2015, 5 (1), pp. 14–20.

Mendonça de Souza Sh. V.F., Reinhard K. J., Lessa A. Cranial deformation as the cause of death for a child from the Chillon River valley, Peru. Chungara, Revista de Antropología Chilena, 2008, 440, 1, pp. 41–53.

Okumura, M. Differences in types of artificial cranial deformation are related to differences in frequencies of cranial and oral health markers in pre-Columbian skulls from Peru. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. Ciências Humanas, 2014, 9, 1, pp. 15–26.

Ossenberg N.S. The Influence of Artificial cranial deformation on Discontinuous Morphological Traits. Am. J. Phys. Anthrop., 1970, 33, pp. 357–369.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Paleopathology. Вy Arthur C. Aufderheide & Conrado RodriguezMartin. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 1998. 478 p.

Virchow R. Ueber krankhaft veranderte Knochen alter Peruaner. Sitzugsber. Kon, Pressischen Akad. Wiss., 1885, 2, pp. 1129–1140.