Postcranial non-metric skeletal traits are documented in two Cis-Baikal populations: the Kitoi, dating to the Early Neolithic (8000-7000/6800 BP), and the Isakovo/Serovo/Glazkovo (ISG) cultural complex, dating to the Late Neolithic (Isakavo/Serovo: 6000/5800-5200 BP) and Early Bronze Age (Glazkovo: 5200/5000-4000 BP). A major cultural discontinuity is thought to have occurred in the Middle Neolithic (7000/6800-6000/5800 BP). Current and previous research suggests that the Early Neolithic Kitoi were bioculturally distinct from the Late Neolithic-Bronze Age ISG cultural complex. Population, side, sex, and age differences in the expression of non-metric traits were explored as indicators of differing activity patterns and divisions of labour between and within the Kitoi and ISG samples, as well as two Kitoi cemeteries: Shamanka II and Lokomotiv. Results of analyses indicate that the Kitoi, particularly males, were taking part in locomotion over steep terrain while carrying heavy loads, probably related to hunting trips. The ISG do not show evidence of these types of activities, suggesting a population difference in the frequency and degree of physically strenuous activity. Kitoi and Shamanka II males and young adult individuals show evidence of having performed the majority of the strenuous lifting and carrying, as well as evidence of increased mobility relative to females. These results indicative of strong divisions of labour in the Kitoi population. Patterns in trait frequencies were also examined for indications of how multiple underlying factors may be interacting. Trait distribution throughout the body provides evidence of the dominance of biomechanical stress as a causative factor in the expression of postcranial non-metric traits. Other factors that become visible when the influence of biomechanical stress is lower include genotype, trauma, and cartilage degeneration. The results of this project are consistent with current theories on the adaptive regimes of the Kitoi and ISG populations and strongly support previous work by BAP researchers in the areas of skeletal robusticity, osteoarthritis, and musculoskeletal stress markers. The research also helps to broaden the knowledge base about the etiologies of the non-metric traits involved.

Postcranial non-metric skeletal traits are documented in two Cis-Baikal populations: the Kitoi, dating to the Early Neolithic (8000-7000/6800 BP), and the Isakovo/Serovo/Glazkovo (ISG) cultural complex, dating to the Late Neolithic (Isakavo/Serovo: 6000/5800-5200 BP) and Early Bronze Age (Glazkovo: 5200/5000-4000 BP). A major cultural discontinuity is thought to have occurred in the Middle Neolithic (7000/6800-6000/5800 BP). Current and previous research suggests that the Early Neolithic Kitoi were bioculturally distinct from the Late Neolithic-Bronze Age ISG cultural complex. Population, side, sex, and age differences in the expression of non-metric traits were explored as indicators of differing activity patterns and divisions of labour between and within the Kitoi and ISG samples, as well as two Kitoi cemeteries: Shamanka II and Lokomotiv. Results of analyses indicate that the Kitoi, particularly males, were taking part in locomotion over steep terrain while carrying heavy loads, probably related to hunting trips. The ISG do not show evidence of these types of activities, suggesting a population difference in the frequency and degree of physically strenuous activity. Kitoi and Shamanka II males and young adult individuals show evidence of having performed the majority of the strenuous lifting and carrying, as well as evidence of increased mobility relative to females. These results indicative of strong divisions of labour in the Kitoi population. Patterns in trait frequencies were also examined for indications of how multiple underlying factors may be interacting. Trait distribution throughout the body provides evidence of the dominance of biomechanical stress as a causative factor in the expression of postcranial non-metric traits. Other factors that become visible when the influence of biomechanical stress is lower include genotype, trauma, and cartilage degeneration. The results of this project are consistent with current theories on the adaptive regimes of the Kitoi and ISG populations and strongly support previous work by BAP researchers in the areas of skeletal robusticity, osteoarthritis, and musculoskeletal stress markers. The research also helps to broaden the knowledge base about the etiologies of the non-metric traits involved.

No description available.

The research presented in this thesis examines a lithic assemblage from the multi-component habitation site Gorelyi Les in the Belaia river valley, Cis-Baikal region, Siberia. The distinctive traits of this collection are the relatively small size of the lithic assemblage and the large proportion of debitage. The chosen methodological framework for this research concentrates on obtaining maximum information from the available materials through application of typological, technological, use-wear, and spatial analyses. The results suggest that there were differences in the organization of the technological process of lithic tool manufacture during the Early Neolithic and Late Neolithic. During the Early Neolithic, lithic tool manufacture and use were rather intensive and diversified, while during the Late Neolithic, tool manufacture and use were limited to a narrower range of technological operations and functions.

The utility of dental calculus as a proxy for diet and mouth use is explored for the Middle Holocene Cis-Baikal region of Central Siberia based on two methods: a macroscopic analysis of severity and a microscopic analysis of particles within deposits. The study area was inhabited by two culturally and biologically distinct cultures, the Early Neolithic (EN) Kitoi culture (8,000 to 7,000/6,800 cal B.P.) and the Late Neolithic-Early Bronze Age (LN-EBA) Isakovo-Serovo-Glaskovo (ISG) cultural complex (6,000/5,800 to 4,000 cal B.P.), separated by a period of cultural transition marked by a cessation in formal cemetery use. Data were collected from four cemetery sites, two dating to the EN and two dating to the LN-EBA. Nonparametric testing of calculus severity revealed that, for adult males and juveniles, lakeshore populations displayed greater affinity to each other than to their contemporaneous cultural counterpart populations living along riverine systems in the Angara River Valley. Trends within the EN cemetery Shamanka II contrasted to the other cemetery populations, with noticeably larger deposits in anterior quadrants and significant sexual distinctions. The proportion of protein to carbohydrates consumed is known to influence calculus formation, but both cultural groups lived on a diet based predominately on meat sources so dietary ratios alone do not adequately explain the differences distinguished. A complex multifactorial model involving microregional differences in resources/environment, foraging patterns, individual variation, and dental wear patterns provides at least a partial explanation for the results observed. A wide range of particles were recovered during the microscopic analysis of calculus, albeit in low concentrations. The low starch grain counts were consistent with a diet based predominately on meats but still provide some of the first direct evidence for plant consumption in the Cis-Baikal, including possible plant processing by cooking or grinding based on damage evident on the grains. Other particles recovered may provide evidence of mouth use activities or palaeoenvironmental influences. Together, the two components of this analysis offer strong evidence that dental calculus is a useful tool for reconstructing hunter-gatherer lifeways but also highlight the limitations of conducting this type of research on previously excavated and potentially contaminated material.

No description available.