Dmitry S. Korobov*, Olga Yu. Chechetkina**, Maria B. Mednikova***

Institute of Archaeology RAS, Moscow, Russia

*E-mail: dkorobov@mail.ru
**E-mail: chechyotkina91@bk.ru
***E-mail: medma_pa@mail.ru 

Keywords: North Caucasus, Alans, Early Middle Ages, childhood bioarchaeology, palaeopathology, artificial cranial deformation, trephination.

The comprehensive study of child burials has become one of the most topical areas of archaeological research in recent decades. Peculiarities of the burial rites of juvenile individuals, their diseases and physical development parameters serve as an important indicator of the social situation capturing the specific historical period and its cultural traditions. The article presents the results of a study of an unusual child burial in terms of archaeological context and anthropological data. The burial was made in an undercut on the periphery of barrow 876 in grave 2 of the Beslan mound catacomb cemetery (Republic of North Ossetia–Alania) dating from the middle of the 7th century AD. Multidisciplinary analysis of the bone remains suggests that this 4-5-year-old individual with a bronze chain around his neck at the time of burial had experienced repeated physiological stresses and significant physical exertion during his short life, being almost two times behind modern standards in terms of growth rate. Moreover, this child’s head was intentionally deformed, his frontal bone shows traces of extensive trepanation with no signs of healing, which may suggest a high lifetime social status of this buried child and/or his parents.

DOI: 10.31857/S086960630014443-6