Preliminarūs 2008 m. archeologinių kasinėjimų antropologinės medžiagos tyrimų rezultatai

LTPo 2008 m. archeologinių tyrinėjimų sezono VU MF ištirta apie 328 asmenų palaikų iš griautinių (198 asmenų palaikai) ir degintinių (30 asmenų palaikai) palaidojimų (iš 29 paminklų). Medžiaga išvalyta, konservuota, identifikuota ir dokumentuota. Mokslinės informacijos požiūriu vertinga medžiaga saugoma katedros saugyklose ir yra prieinama tolesniems detalesniems tyrimams. Žemiau pateikiama trumpa ištirtos medžiagos charakteristika, kartu prijungiant ir į ankstesnę publikaciją neįtrauktą ankstesnių tyrinėjimų medžiagą. Didžiausios apimties tyrimų – Trakų bažnyčios ir šventoriaus – rezultatai pateikiami atskiruose straipsniuose [p. 537].

ENIn all, the remains of 198 individuals from inhumations and cremations (around 30 individuals) from 29 sites were examined; some sites not previously investigated were also included in this report. Data from the excavations at a rakai church are presented separately in this volume. The skeletal materials were cleaned, covered with preservation substances where necessary, identified, and documented according to standard procedures, or returned for reburial. The brief characteristics of the sites are presented. Some details provide new information or supplement already known information about the lifestyles of the communities that left specific burial grounds. The analysis of Iron Age cremations confirms former data that individuals of both sexes and of various ages were regularly cremated; some sites (e. g. Bajorai) indicate the presence of complex rituals. As regards inhumations, the analysis of Marvelė, the largest Iron Age necropolis in Lithuania (over 1500 graves), was continued.Among AD 2nd-millennium burials, several new cases of DISH, causatively linked with type 2 diabetes and especially numerous at Telšiai cathedral, were noted. The numerous pathologies characterizing the population of Vilnius (possible birth traumas, death during pregnancy, numerous traumas, severe degenerative joint disease, cases of bone tuberculosis, and parasite infestation (echinococcus) are notable. More general conclusions about a specific site, region, or period should be the subject of another, more detailed analysis, that includes data from earlier excavations and takes into account the entire archaeological and historical context.