ANALYSIS OF MORTUARY VARIABILITY, DIET, AND AREA-OF-BIRTH AT THE EARLY BRONZE AGE CEMETERY OF KHUZHIR-NUGE XIV, CIS-BAIKAL, SIBERIA

Abstract

This thesis explores mortuary and biogeochemical correlates at the Early Bronze Age (4597+/-76 to 3726+/-34 cal. BP; Weber et al. 2016) cemetery of Khuzhir-Nuge XIV (K14) in the Little Sea microregion of Cis-Baikal, Siberia. Previous research using the bioarchaeology of life histories approach (Zvelebil and Weber 2013) has indicated that there are mortuary correlates to diet and area-of-birth (Shepard 2016, and Weber and Goriunova 2013), however neither investigated the full range of mortuary treatment present at K14. Shepard (2016) analyzed area-of-birth and interment in similar rows of graves, and Weber and Goriunova (2013) analyzed diet, area-of-birth, interment with red deer canine pendants, and cluster in K14. This thesis investigates correlates with interment with nine artifact categories (implements, ornaments, kaolinite cylindrical beads, nephrite artifacts, lithic arrowheads, wood working implements, hide working implements, hunting implements, and meat butchering implements) and four mortuary treatment categories (fire use, head treatment, grave disturbance, and grave pit lining) using log linear models (Agresti 2007). Using log linear models (Agresti 2007), the relationships between the two previously identified diet categories (game-fish-seal; GFS, and game-fish; GF), the two areas-of-birth (broadly categorized as local (to the Little Sea) and nonlocal), and mortuary practices at K14 are identified and analyzed. Each mortuary variable was tested three times in order to fully explore any possible relationship between that variable and (1) diet and area-of-birth, (2) diet and cluster in K14, and (3) area-of-birth and cluster in K14. Since cluster in K14 is consistently identified as an influential factor for mortuary treatment and has correlates to diet and area-of-birth, including it in these tests helped identify which mortuary treatment variables are related to cluster in K14 or are related to diet and/or area-of-birth. Interestingly, while diet and area-of-birth are consistently related to one another in every test performed, they are not related to the same mortuary variables. Furthermore, when cluster in K14 is included in the analysis, all mortuary variables (with the exception of grave disturbance and the relationship between diet and area-of-birth) are related to cluster in K14. This suggests that there are multiple, simultaneous influencing factors on mortuary treatment that are related to diet, area-of-birth, and cluster in K14. While there are undoubtedly other influencing factors on mortuary treatment for these individuals based on aspects of their life histories that may never be fully understood or identified, understanding how diet and area-of-birth relate to mortuary treatment provides important information on Glazkovo lifeways in the Little Sea microregion and the Cis-Baikal in general.