UDC 572

Institute of Archeology and Ethnography SB RAS 17 Akademika Lavrentieva Ave., Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

E-mail: zubova_al@mail.ru

Based on the results of a paleodemographic study of anthropological material from the Yelovsky-2, Chernoozerye-1, Zhuravlevo-4, Tanay-7, and Zarechnoye-1 burial grounds, the studied populations are divided into two groups with different levels of cumulative stress, which is increased in the Andronovo period and decreased by the Late Bronze Age. This is manifested in a lower average age of death and earlier onset of mortality peaks in the populations from Chernoozerye-1 and Elovsky-2 (Andronovskaya). Two models of demographic adaptation to changing conditions are identified: for Tanai-7, it is migration to a new territory; for the Andronovo-Elovskaya group, which left the Yelovsky-2 burial ground , it is the inclusion of a new population in the aging population.

Introduction

Human adaptation to the environment is a complex process, the results of which are reflected in both morphofunctional and demographic and socio-cultural characteristics of human populations. There are deep connections between the anthropological features and demographic indicators that fall within the paleoanthropologist's competence and the cultural elements studied by the archaeologist, since they are formed in the same conditions. The demographic structure of the local paleopopulation at a certain stage of the existence of an archaeological culture can explain the trends of cultural-genetic transformations. Demographic decline or rise in individual collectives causes displacement of population groups interested in expanding the circle of marital ties, which is reflected in the spread of new cultural traditions or the displacement of old ones.

In archaeological research, transformations of cultural elements of ancient societies and population migration are more often associated with external causes - climate change, ecology, and political conflicts. Much less attention is paid to demographic features. Meanwhile, any population is not just a sum of individuals, but a complex system that has its own structure and is governed by certain biological laws. Any changes in it occur not only under the influence of external influences, i.e. a complex of exogenous habitat factors (temperature, humidity, insolation level, macro-and microelement composition of water and soil, pathogenic environment, etc.) and the appearance of new features as a result of mixing, but also as a result of intrapopulation processes aimed primarily at its development. self-preservation. Due to these processes, each population develops a demographic structure that is adequate to the environment and responsive to its changes.

Attempts to reconstruct the demographic characteristics of the ancient population of Western Siberia on the basis of archaeological and paleoanthropologists-

The work was carried out within the framework of the program of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences "Adaptation of peoples and cultures to changes in the natural environment, social and technological transformations".

These efforts have been made repeatedly (see, for example, Bobrov, Chikisheva, and Mikhailov, 1993; Chikisheva, 2000; Matveeva, 2002; Tikhonov, 1993). However, most of these studies did not perform an inter-population comparison of the features of mortality curves and did not assess the mutual influence of demographic and socio-cultural indicators. In general, the approach to demographic data as characteristics of one of the leading mechanisms of adaptation to environmental and cultural-historical transformations of the environment was not applied.

In this paper, the demographic processes that took place in ancient populations are considered as a reflection of the interaction of biological intentions of the population to preserve its effective size, gender and age structure, and historical trends in the development of cultural formations of this period. The demographic situation will not be assessed as favorable or unfavorable, since fluctuations in mortality and fertility in any population are due to the need to increase its adaptive capabilities. The aim of the work is to identify information about the processes of adaptation of the population of Western Siberia in the Advanced and Late Bronze Ages using demographic data.

Research material and methodology

The study is based on the most fully anthropologically studied populations of the Advanced and Late Bronze Age Epochs of Western Siberia. Since only samples from fully or mostly excavated burial grounds are suitable for demographic analysis [Alekseev, 1989; Buzhilova, 1997], we have only seven groups at our disposal: the Andronovo period, which left the burial grounds Elovsky-2 (Kozhevnikovsky district of the Tomsk region) and Chernoozerye-1 (Omsk Irtysh region); the carriers of the Elovskaya group, which is located in the northern part of the Russian Federation. cultures (Elovsky-2), Insky local variant of Irmenskaya (Zarechnoye-1, Zhuravlevo-4, Tanay-7) and "Late Bronze Age cultures" (Old Garden).

Sex and age definitions for those buried in the Yelovsky-2, Chernoozerye-1, and Zarechnoye-1 burial grounds were made by V. A. Dremov (partially published [Zakh, 1997; Matyushchenko, 2004]); for the groups that left the Zhuravlevo-4 and Stary Sad burial grounds, TA. Chikisheva [Bobrov, Chikisheva, and Mikhailov, 1993; Chikisheva, 2000]; the sex and age of some of the buried bodies was clarified by me (Table 1, 2).

The analysis of paleodemographic data was carried out in two stages: at the first stage, local features inherent in each population were identified; at the second stage, individual groups of the Bronze Age were compared with each other and with populations of other cultural and chronological periods in order to determine general demographic patterns.

The demographic structure of population groups in Western Siberia during the Advanced and Late Bronze Ages was studied using standard "survival tables" (Ubelacker, 1978), which were used to plot mortality curves. In addition, in each population, the average age of death, the ratio of the number of men and women (effectively-a reproductive indicator), the number of children who died per woman of reproductive age (reproductive indicator), the ratio of the population in reproductive (16-40 years) and non - productive (over 40 years)were estimated age (Tables 3-6).

Table 1. Sex composition of populations

Note: In Tables 1 and 2, the relative amount (%) is indicated in parentheses.

Table 2. Age structure of populations

Table 3. Average age of death in populations

* Data from T. A. Chikisheva [2000].

** Data of V. P. Alekseev [1989].

Population size in reproductive and post-reproductive age, Table 4. %

See Table 5. Percentage of individuals who have reached reproductive age, %

Percentage of individuals who lived to the age of 30, Table b. %

Main demographic characteristics of populations

Chernoozerye-1, Andronovo time of the Omsk Irtysh region. Approximately 170 burials were excavated at the Chernoozerye-1 burial ground, but sex and age definitions are available only for 50 buried adults. The average age of death in this population is quite low for the Bronze Age (see Table 3). The peaks of mortality in women occur at the age intervals of 21-25 and 36-40 years, in men-at the latter (Figure 1). At the beginning of the reproductive period (16-20 years) There is a numerical preponderance of the female population, but 14 (50.2 %) women and 18 (81.8 %) men survived to the age of 30 (see Table 2). Due to the higher male mortality rate in the age group of 30 - 40 years, the number of men and women is equalized by the age of 40. Since it is impossible to determine the level of child mortality based on the materials of this burial ground, it is impossible to draw unambiguous conclusions about the influence of the age structure of the population on its ability to reproduce. It can only be assumed that due to the high mortality rate of women at the most favorable age from the point of view of reproduction, this population could not quickly increase its number.

Mortality curves plotted for the population that left the Chernoozerye-1 burial ground (see Figure 1),

Figure 1. Mortality curves for male (A) and female (B) populations.

1-Elovsky-2, Elovskaya culture; 2-Elovsky-2, Andronovo time; 3-Zhuravlevo-4; 4-Tanai-7; 5-Old Garden; 6-Chernoozerye-1, Andronovo time.

they indicate consistently high loads on the active part of the population.

Elovsky-2, Andronovo time of the Tomsk Ob region. The average age of death in this group is higher than in the series from the Chernoozerye-1 burial ground. There is a significant difference between the age of death of men and women (see Table 3). At the beginning of the reproductive period, there is a significant numerical preponderance of the male population (71 men and 52 women), the equalization does not occur even by the age of 40. The birth rate largely depends on the number of women who are in the reproductive period. The most active age range is considered to be 20-29 years, followed by a slow decline [Chamberlain, 2001]. The number of males has a much smaller impact on the population growth rate. According to J. R. R. Tolkien, According to J. Bursdell, "one sexually active man can ensure that ten women remain pregnant at the same time. < ... > This would lead to the same number of births as if the group consisted of ten women and ten men. But if we imagine a certain local group consisting of ten men and only one woman, the birth rate would be ten percent of the previous one "(cit. by: [Harris, 2003]). About 48 % of women in the population under review died by the age of 30 without fully realizing the potential for childbearing. For every woman of reproductive age who dies, there are two children, which is quite a high figure for the Bronze Age. But the high birth rate could not reduce the degree of demographic tension, since the population composition was overloaded with individuals who did not participate in the reproduction process - free men (in the age category of 26-30 years, their number reaches 22) and representatives of both sexes in the post - reproductive age (over 40 years). Apparently, this group was in a state of demographic crisis, the need to overcome which led to the transformation of the traditions of the Andronovo time and the formation in the cultural and economic sphere of the population of the Tomsk Ob region of features that allow archaeologists to identify a group of burials of the Elovskaya culture at the Yelovsky-2 burial ground.

Elovsky-2, Elovskaya culture. In comparison with the Andronovo time, the native speakers of the Elovo culture show some improvement in the demographic situation. The average age of death in this population is quite high (see Table 3). A stable demographic situation is indicated by the mortality curves, in particular, a slight increase in indicators even at the main peaks and a large number of women who lived to the age of more than 50 years (see Figure 1). The male mortality curve is almost identical to those constructed from the materials of the Zhuravlyovo-4 burial grounds (Irmen culture) and the Old Garden, and the female mortality curve - shows great similarity with the mortality curve of women from the Zhuravlev-4 group. They differ mainly in the number of individuals who have lived to an advanced age. In the Yelovskaya group, 19.35% of women reached the age of more than 50 years, while in the Irmenskaya group, only 4% survived.

Of particular interest is the ratio of men (26) and women (38) observed in the population under consideration, and a significant predominance of the female population is already observed in the early age groups (see Table 2). This is a fairly common phenomenon in Western Siberia. For example, it was recorded by N. P. Matveeva in the materials of the Kirillovka-3 burial grounds,

Elunino-1 and Bystrovka-1, related to the early stages of the Kamenskaya culture [2002]; T. A. Chikisheva in the Pazyryk series from the Yustyd burial ground [2003]. Since in these groups the average age of death for women is almost 10 years lower than for men, it is possible to assume with a high degree of confidence that the predominance of the female population here was laid down in the biological program of the population as necessary to maintain its number in case of early female mortality. The average age of death is very high among the bearers of the Elovo culture, and it is higher in women than in men (see Table). 3), so that the numerical predominance of the female population here was caused by other reasons. The most likely explanation seems to be the need to overcome the consequences of the demographic crisis of the Andronovo period, and to quickly restore the population size.

Judging by the fact that, according to archaeological data, burials of the transitional from Andronovo to Elovo cultural appearance are distinguished in the burial ground, bearing traces of the influence of the traditions of community with comb-pit ceramics, the demographic decline of Andronovo residents probably resulted in the attraction of women from autochthonous groups to their environment. It provoked a transformation of cultural traditions and demographic appearance of the population. Since this transformation took place naturally over a long period of time, when analyzing the demography of native speakers of the Yelovskaya culture, we do not observe such an indicator of population change as the migration crisis, and a sharp predominance of younger age groups. The main manifestation of demographic changes was a surge in the birth rate. Due to a sharp increase in the female population and an increase in the average age of death of women, the number of children per woman of reproductive age increased: this figure was 2.06, which is a very large value.

In this group, the proportion of women over 40 years of age is higher than in others (there are 11 of them, or 25.48 % of the total number of women). This fact can be attributed to a significantly lower mortality rate of children aged 6-10 years than in all other populations, since the presence of grandmothers in the family significantly reduces this indicator. As for the age-specific features of child mortality in general, an unusually large number of children died at the age of 11-15 years among the bearers of the Elovo culture (see Table 2). It is possible that at this age the inclusion of children in adult life has already begun.

In parallel with the process of demographic stabilization with the transition from the Andronovo time to the Elovo time, cultural and economic changes also occurred, due to which the indicators of female mortality in this population differ significantly less from those of the carriers of the Irmen culture (Zhuravlevo-4) than the indicators of the Andronovo time group. The improvement of the demographic situation and the increase in the number of women can be attributed to the deterioration of the social status of women recorded by archaeological and paleopathological materials from the Andronovo time to the Elovo time. It manifests itself in a decrease in the number of bronze tools in women's graves, an increase in the frequency of markers of food stress among women, and the appearance of evidence of domestic violence [Tikhonov, 1993; Zubova, 2007].

Old Garden, "Late Bronze Age Culture". The average age of death in the population that left the burial ground is quite high (see Table 3). The male mortality curve is almost identical to those plotted from the Yelovsky-2 (Yelovskaya group) and Zhuravlyovo-4 burial grounds; all three show the main peak in the age range of 36-40 years (see Fig.The female mortality curve has a significant peculiarity: the peaks in the age ranges of 16-20 and 26-30 years, typical for most female groups of the Bronze Age, are absent, and the main one falls on 41-45 years (see Fig. 1, B). T. A. Chikisheva proposed two options for explaining the small number of women early ages among those buried in the Old Garden burial ground. First, this situation could have developed during the migration of the population who left this burial ground from another region. Secondly, the absence of high mortality in 16-20 years may be due to the fact that children were mostly given birth by older women [Chikisheva, 2000].

There are no women aged 26-30 among those buried, which, in our opinion, requires an explanation, since some authors interpret the complete absence of representatives of any age group as evidence of discrete development of the collective. The small number of Late Bronze Age burials in the Old Garden burial ground suggests that they were left by a rather small group, the gender and age structure of which is more affected by random factors than large populations. If in a community of 10 to 15 families, the absence of girls born for five years or the death of all of them before the age of 16 is unlikely, then in a group of two to three families, such phenomena are quite possible. Judging by the ethnographic parallels with the Selkup population of Siberia, where the number of one family sometimes reached 20 people. with an average of 16.3 people. among the northern Selkups and 11.1-among the Naryms (Gemuyev, 1984), a collective similar in size to the group from the Old Garden could have a maximum of three or four families. Ana-

Figure 2. Mortality curve of the population that left the Old Garden burial ground.

The analysis of the age structure of Selkup families showed that, firstly, they have a small number of members aged 16-30 years, which is quite comparable with that in the population under consideration; secondly, there are separate age categories of the population in three or four families (both randomly taken and within the same village). missing quite often. This makes it possible to reject the idea of the migrant nature of the group that left the Old Garden burial ground, especially since the mortality curve of males of this group, as already noted, has a high degree of similarity with those of other populations of the Late Bronze Age of Western Siberia.

Since the ratio of female to male population in the study group is not the most favorable (15: 20), and there were only 7 women and 15 men at the reproductive age, the population probably increased quite slowly. One deceased woman of reproductive age has 1.89 children, which does not distinguish this group from the general circle. In it, as in the case of native speakers of the Elovo culture, the mortality rate of children aged 11-15 years is increased in comparison with other populations.

In general, the mortality pattern of the group that left the Old Garden burial ground seems to differ from other Bronze Age populations studied in Western Siberia. In the female sample, markers of episodic and specific stresses that are common in other series are extremely rare [Zubova, 2007]. Apparently, in this group there were specific socio-cultural mechanisms that made it possible to reduce the negative impact of biological stressors and reduce the mortality rate of the population at a young age. Due to these mechanisms, the overall trend of mortality in the population under consideration is closer than in others to the classical U-shaped distribution (Figure 2).

Zhuravlevo-4, Irmen culture. The anthropological materials of the burial ground were studied demographically by T. A. Chikisheva, but the results obtained by her required correction, since it was necessary to separate the population from Zhuravlev-4 from the groups from Zhuravlev-1 and -3 included in the" survival tables", and to clarify the age of some of the buried. This led to a change in the values of some indicators and, in general, the demographic status of the population, compared to what was recorded on the basis of the "survival tables" published in the work on this burial ground [Bobrov, Chikisheva, Mikhailov, 1993], and used by me earlier [Zubova, 2006].

The average age of death in the group in absolute terms fits within the limits noted for the Bronze Age (see Table 3).However, there is a larger gap between the average age of death of men and women (almost six years) compared to other studied populations of the Late Bronze Age of Western Siberia. The curves of male and female mortality show a high degree of similarity with those of the bearers of the Elovo culture. In terms of male mortality, the population is close to the group from the Old Garden (see Figure 1).

The ratio of the male and female population is rather unfavorable. In the male sample, there are no buried people aged 16-20 years, while in the female sample there are 10 people, i.e. 20 % of all women born at the same time. In the next age category, there is a noticeable imbalance: for 40 women, there are 47 men. In the future, the gap is even wider: 23 women, or 46 %, and 37 men, or 78%, live to the age of 30, so the birth rate at the time of completion of the burial ground formation, apparently, left much to be desired. An additional factor that had a negative impact on the demographic situation was most likely that, due to the increase in female mortality, women of the next generation married earlier, and this led to an increase in the mortality rate of women aged 16-20 years. A decrease in the mating age of women in this group is probably indicated by the signs of food stress (enamel hypoplasia on the third molars) observed on several female skulls at the age of 13-15 years, presumably associated with a deterioration in the quality of nutrition of women with the transition to another family.

The number of children per woman of reproductive age in the group that left the Zhuravlyovo-4 burial ground is 1.27, which is lower than in most populations of the Late Bronze Age.-

ps, and indicates a reduced birth rate. In comparison with other groups, the percentage of children who died during the first five years of life is slightly higher (see Table 2). This may indicate an unfavorable hygiene situation in the population.

Of particular interest is the absence of 16-20 - year-old men among the buried people and the presence of women of the corresponding age. Given the situation discussed above in the group from the Old Garden, it is possible to assume the influence of a random factor. However, since the number of people buried in Zhuravlev-4 is significantly higher than in the Old Garden, the assumption that no boys were born in this population for five years seems unlikely from the point of view of biology. There are two ways to explain this situation from the point of view of social development of the team. First , because of the unfavorable demographic situation, men aged 16-20 left the territory of their residence in order to find marriage partners in other groups. Taking into account the ratio of the number of men and women buried in the burial ground, this option seems quite acceptable, since there is a clear reason for moving part of the collective and there are no men of the age that seems optimal for migration in the demographic structure. The second option lies in the realm of purely speculative constructions: the population could initially have been formed by force, namely, by capturing a certain group of women and girls in a purely male collective. Since there is no evidence in favor of such a version, it is inappropriate to dwell on its consideration in detail. In any case, the complete absence of 16-20 - year-old males among the burials of a large population may indicate a short functioning of the Zhuravlyovo-4 burial ground. The time of its existence is a little more than one generation. Otherwise, even if a group of young men were removed from the team at the same time, the burial ground would contain people of the same age who were born in the previous or next generation.

Tanai-7. Most of the demographic parameters of this paleopopulation indicate extreme conditions of its existence. The average age of death is very low in comparison with other groups studied (see Table 3). The population mortality curves differ from those for other populations of the Late Bronze Age (see Figure 1). In the male part of the group, the ups and downs of mortality occur, starting from the main peak, consistently ten years earlier than in the Middle Ages. populations from Yelovsky-2, Staryi Sad, and Zhuravlev-4; there is no decline preceding the main peak and no intermediate peak, which occurs in the three groups listed at 26-30 years of age. By general appearance (continuous rise, then decline and some rise) this curve is close to those of the Andronovo time populations from Chernoozerye-1 and Yelovsky-2. The female mortality curve also shows significant differences from the rest. There is no pronounced increase in the age range of 16-19 years, followed by a decrease, but there is an almost uniform increase from 16-19 to 31-35 years, and then a sharp decrease due to the extinction of the main mass of the female population. This curve almost perfectly coincides with the mortality curve of women of the Andronovo group from the Tomsk Ob region, differing from it only in the absence of persons over 50 years of age (see Figure 1).

The population's ability to reproduce is theoretically quite high. There is a situation of almost complete sexual balance. The rate of decline of the female and male populations in the early age groups is almost the same, with only three people in the non-productive age group. However, in reality, it is unlikely that this population could have grown rapidly, since most of the women died at a very young age and did not have time to give birth to all the potential children. The value of the reproduction coefficient is 1.76, which is an average indicator for the Bronze Age. In addition, this group has an increased percentage of child mortality in the first five years of life (see Table 2).

Most likely, the observed demographic situation is caused by increasing pressures on the population associated with the need to develop a new habitat. There are several arguments in favor of this. First of all, the Tanai-7 burial ground is one of the earliest monuments of the Irmen culture on the territory of the Kuznetsk Basin, and it is likely that the demographic situation in the population reflects the process of formation of the life support system for cultural carriers in general. Despite the decline in the absolute values of the main demographic indicators, the relative differences between the female and male populations remain approximately the same as in other populations of the Bronze Age. Indirect evidence of the migrant nature of the group is the low average age of buried people, since such populations are typically characterized by an age structure with a predominance of adults at the "age of first marriage" (approx.20 years), since at this age the possibility of migration is highest [Chamberlain, 2001]. This assumption is also supported by the increased mortality of men aged 26-30 years. According to A. P. Buzhilova,

3. Mortality curve of men (A) and women (B) in the population that left the Zarechnoye-1 burial ground.

migration stress is reflected in the demographic curve as a peak of mortality in young adulthood [1997].

Zarechnoye-1. Only ten burial mounds were examined by archaeologists at the burial ground, which reduces the representativeness of the obtained materials. However, since the sample consists of a significant number of individuals, some conclusions can be drawn. "Survival tables" for Zarechny-1 were compiled with a breakdown into 10-year intervals due to the peculiarities of gender and age definitions made by V. A. Dremov.

Of the three burial grounds of the Irmen culture, the highest values of the average age of death are found here (see Table 3). The male mortality curve shows a peak at the age interval of 31-40 years (Figure 3, A), the female mortality - 21-30 years, then a decrease and a constant level until the complete extinction of women by 60 years (Figure 3, A).. 3,5).

Judging by the ratio of male and female population (15 : 16), the sexual balance was not disturbed. Non-productive categories include seven men and six women, which is 40.6 % of the adult population. Apparently, this affected the reproductive potential of the population. It is necessary to note the lowest infant mortality rate among the groups considered in the first five years of life, but since the burial ground has not been completely excavated, the data need to be clarified.

Some features of the demographic situation

After analyzing the demographic processes that took place in the populations of the Late Bronze Age, we can identify a number of indicators that characterize the overall demographic situation in the studied chronological period.

The average age of adults buried in the two studied burial grounds of the Andronovo period is 32.3 years, for men-36.49, for women - 31.89 years. In the late Bronze Age, the value of this indicator increases (34.1) and the gap between the age of death of men (36.1) and women (34.16) decreases; the average value for the entire population is 23.7 years. The Irmen and Andronovo groups are characterized by a longer life expectancy of men compared to women. For other populations of the Late Bronze Age, we cannot yet draw a similar conclusion due to the absence of at least two demographically studied burial grounds of the Elovskaya culture and the"Late Bronze age culture".

The child mortality rate in these groups varies from 27.05% to 39.9%. The number of deaths of children per woman of reproductive age ranges from 1.27 to 2.06; as a rule, it is less than two - the number necessary to maintain the population at a constant level. This is explained by the fact that not all children born died, but only a certain percentage, which we are dealing with when studying the sex and age structure of the population based on the distribution of the deceased population. The calculated values of this indicator only indicate that in Bronze Age societies, the infant mortality rate was about two children per woman. In the first five years of life, 50 to 75% of children died. The highest value of this indicator is noted in Zhuravlev-4 and Tanay-7, the lowest-in Zarechny-1. Children who died at the age of 6 - 10 years are most often in Zarechny-1 and in Andronovsky burials of Elovsky-2-approx. 30 %, in the burial grounds of Zhuravlevo-4, Old Garden and Tanay-7-from 12.5 to 16.67, in the burials of the Elovskaya culture-8.97 %.

In all the groups considered, there are differences between the levels of female and male mortality.-

ti at the same age intervals. Women, as a rule, died more at a young age, men-at an older age. In the post-productive period, the decline in the female population continued more slowly than the male population, or was approximately at the same level.

The analysis of the demographic structure of populations that left burial grounds of the Late Bronze Age and the series studied as a comparative material allows us to draw a number of conclusions concerning the general patterns of demographic processes in ancient groups. First of all, it is obvious that the factors that determined the level of male and female mortality differed from each other. The main cause of male mortality is the natural depletion of the body's biological resources, associated with stable (albeit high) loads in the process of obtaining vital resources; social factors played a smaller role. Female mortality, first of all, was caused by the need for childbearing and strongly depended on the level of medicine, hygiene and comfortable living conditions.

Judging by the dynamics of mortality in ancient populations, their sex and age structure was influenced by three types of factors. The first one is local, which is relevant only for a particular group. These include migration, military clashes, epidemics, and so on. Their influence is noticeable in two of the studied groups: Tanai-7, which left the burial ground and has not yet lost its migrant status, and Zhuravlev-4, which is most likely a donor population. The second type of factors is a complex of general cultural components that determines the presence of a model by which a person has adapted to the environment. Such a model includes the way of managing, the social system, religious beliefs and determines the place of a person in the surrounding reality. In many respects, it determines the level of cumulative stress in the population, which, in turn, affects the demographic indicators necessary to maintain the population in these environmental conditions (average birth and death rates, average life expectancy, etc.). Thus, the cultural model defines the boundaries of the actual demographic "norm of reaction" of the population to environmental changes. external factors. If they are violated, the law of conservation of numbers comes into force, which is aimed at bringing the population within the ecological niche within the limits of the norm and is the third factor that forms the demographic appearance of ancient and close to modern groups leading a traditional way of life. It affects both the biological aspects of the population's existence, causing fluctuations in the death and birth rates, and the social ones. As an example of the direct impact of this law on the peculiarities of the social life of traditional society, we can point out the decrease in marriage and endogamy of Selkups and Sosva Mansi with an increase in the population associated with the most favorable natural conditions at the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries (Lebedev and Oborotova, 1991).

In the considered ancient populations, the effect of the law of conservation of numbers is primarily associated with fluctuations in mortality and fertility among the female population, which sharply increases as soon as the difference in the age of death of men and women reaches the required level (approx.10 years). It also began to work in the case of inclusion in the group of a non-cultural population, since, as a rule, this changed the existing traditions and boundaries of the "demographic norm". When comparing the mortality curves in different populations, it is found that in culturally similar groups with different territorial localities, they have a similar appearance, while in populations that occupied the same ecological niche at different chronological stages, characterized by different management methods, they differ significantly.

According to the mortality indicators, the considered populations are differentiated into two groups. In women, one group includes carriers of the Elovskaya (Elovsky-2) and Irmenskaya (Zhuravlevo-4) cultures; the other group includes the Irmenskaya population from Tanay - 7 and the Andronovskaya population from Elovsky-2. The female population from Chernoozerye-1 can be attributed to the same group with some degree of conditionality, although it differs in the absence of a peak mortality rate in 31-35 years. An intermediate position is occupied by the group from the Old Garden, which, by the presence of one pronounced peak on the female mortality curve, is close to the population of Andronovo time, who left burials at the Yelovsky-2 burial ground, and by the position of this peak (in the second half of the reproductive period) is close to the Irmen population from Zhuravlev-4 (see Fig.).

In males, one group includes the population of Zhuravlev-4, Staryi Sad and bearers of the Elovskaya culture, the other-Andronovo populations from Elovsky-2 and Chernoozerye-1 and Irmenskaya populations from Tanaya-7 (see Fig. 1, A).

The results of the analysis of mortality curves allow us to draw several conclusions. The first of them is about the greater comfort of living conditions in the Late Bronze Age compared to the Andronovo time. Andronovo groups are characterized by a higher level of cumulative stress, which is manifested in increased mortality of the young population. In the Late Bronze Age, it decreases quite strongly and the peaks of mortality are shifted to later age intervals.

The second conclusion is related to differences in the epochal and local variability of the male and female mortality curves. The former have few differences within the cultural community, but they are quite strongly transformed from the Andronovo time to the Late Bronze Age, which is probably due to the evolution of economic forms. Within the same culture, they are caused by natural and climatic factors that are approximately the same in large areas, which is why the stress level is distributed in a similar way at the same age intervals. Female mortality curves show great internal variability both within archaeological cultures and in epochal ones. This is explained by the difference in the social status of women and the customs that determine their level of hygiene and lifestyle in individual populations. In general, from the Andronovo period to the Late Bronze Age, there is a decrease in the level of cumulative stress in the female population and a clearer identification of potentially dangerous age intervals from the point of view of increasing mortality.

Based on the analysis of the sex and age structure of the studied populations, it is possible to assume the existence of two models of demographic adaptation to changes in environmental conditions in the Late Bronze Age. The first is the migration of the group to a new, undeveloped territory, which can be traced in Tanai-7. The second is the inclusion of a new population in the aging population, as evidenced by the Andronovo-Elovo materials from the Tomsk Ob region.

List of literature

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 15.01.08.

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