THE OKTYOMSKOE COLLECTIVE BURIAL OF THE 17TH CENTURY IN CENTRAL YAKUTIA (PUBLICATION OF MAFSO MATERIALS IN 2016)
Abstract
The article is devoted to the detailed publication of the materials of the Oktyomskoe collective burial of the 17th century of seven people, discovered in 2016 in the Khangalassky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) by the joint Franco-Russian archaeological expedition MAFSO. There was adult man aged 30–35, five children (from 1 to 8 years old) and teenager aged 12 who died, probably as a result of some kind of epidemic disease (for example, smallpox). By the nature of the burial structure, clothing and accompanying equipment, the burial definitely dates from the 1st half or the middle of the 17th century. Unique drawings of a shaman and a horseman carved on wood were also found in the burial, which had not been previously noted. The site is one of the few collective burials in Yakutia and is only the sixth discovered out of more than 400 Yakut burials of the 17th–19th centuries, discovered from 1888 to the present day. Based on the composition of the burial complex, it was concluded that similar burials represent more of an exception to the general rule of the Yakut burial tradition than an established practice.
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References
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Rapport présenté par Eric Crubézy avec la collaboration de S. Duchesne et P. Gérard / Laboratoire AMIS-UMR 5288 — CNRS Université Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III), 2016. 160 p. (In French)
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