The scientific group of the laboratory "Identification of objects of Biological Origin" of the SFedU Academy of Biology and Biotechnology, led by Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor Igor Kornienko and Candidate of Biological Sciences Olga Aramova, together with Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Archaeology and History of the Ancient World Evgeny Vdovchenkov, published important research results revealing the secrets of the early Middle Ages.

The burial, which became the object of research, dates back to the late sixth and early seventh centuries A.D., was found on the necropolis of the Rostov settlement, located on the territory of the modern city of Rostov-on-Don (near Stanislavsky/Chekhov St.) by archaeologist Alexander Podorozhny, a graduate of the Institute of History and International Relations of the Southern Federal University and an employee of Yuzharchaeology. The peculiarity of this burial is that it can be correlated with migrants from the East, and more specifically with a cultural group like Sukhanovo, which is presumably associated with the Turkic-speaking nomads Utigurs, who dominated the Don region after the victory over the Kutrigurs — from the middle of the VI century to the beginning of the VII century. Its signs are the absence of inventory (only a belt headset and shoe buckles were found, and traces of a wooden bowl), the skeleton of a horse next to the buried man, a northern orientation, and the possible use of a shroud, as can be seen from the tightly pressed arms and legs of the buried man. Presumably, this cultural group can be correlated with the Turkic people of the Utigurs, who, according to the Byzantine authors, roamed in the Don Region at that time.

"According to the results of the genetic analysis, haplogroup D4q* was identified in the mitochondrial DNA, which indicates the origin of the buried person from East and Southeast Asia, with possible links to the modern peoples of Tibet and Kyrgyzstan. This is confirmed by the data from the study of autosomal DNA, which show a high similarity with modern populations of East Asia," said Olga Aramova.

The scientists reconstructed the phenotype of the buried man, determining the dark color of his skin, eyes and hair. Studies of the chemical composition of objects of funeral equipment (including coatings on metal parts of the waist headset) They also allowed us to identify unique aspects related to the culture of this individual.

The study was carried out by an employee of the SFedU International Research Institute of Intelligent Materials Oleg Polozhentsev by the method of microrentgenofluorescence analysis.

"The heraldic headset, covered with gold foil and made of lead, is a unique find for the Rostov settlement. The lead used to make some of the jewelry was most likely a more affordable and cheaper material than silver, which may indicate that the buried person did not belong to the upper stratum of society. Nevertheless, the presence of a gold coating on some elements of jewelry indicates its rather high status, which makes it necessary to reconsider the usual ideas about the social structures of that time," said Evgeny Vdovchenkov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Archeology and History of the Ancient World.

According to the researchers, Turkic migrants from the east, including the Utigurs, dominated the steppe zone during this period. Thus, it is likely that this buried person belonged to the Utigurs, but it is hardly possible to insist on this, given the limited number of burials of this time, as well as, more importantly, the specifics of archaeological sources.

Speaking of social status, the buried person most likely did not belong to the highest elite, although he was not poor, since the traditions of the funeral rite of this cultural tradition did not involve the burial of an ordinary person with a horse in horse gear, with weapons and valuable utensils. An interesting point is also the deformation of the skull of the buried one, which indicates the preservation of some traditions that came from the Sarmatian-Alan world. These elements indicate the continuity between the different epochs and cultures that existed on the territory of the Lower Don.

What is this tradition? As scientists explain, it was brought by the Sarmatians from the east back in the first centuries of our era. Babies had their skulls strapped to make them elongated (there are several known versions of such strapping). It was a tradition of a certain group, which was very successful, since anthropological studies show that those buried with a deformed skull lived longer than those without deformity. This tradition is known in the steppe zone, in the Meotian hillforts and in Tanais, but in these settlements it is determined by the presence of Sarmatians on them. During the era of the Great Migration, the Caucasian Alans and Sarmatians spread this tradition, making it prestigious, which may explain its use by these buried people.

The integrated and interdisciplinary approach of the SFedU scientists allowed not only to clarify migration flows in the early Middle Ages, but also provided unique data on the mixing of cultures and ethnic groups during the Great Migration period. Such studies are becoming an important contribution to the reconstruction of the ethnogenetic history of Southern Russia and allow us to more accurately understand how various ethnic groups influenced the formation of the region's population.

"This burial very vividly outlines the specifics of the era of the Great Migration of peoples, the transition between the Sarmatian era (II century BC – IV century AD) and the time of the Khazar Khaganate (the second half of the VII - X centuries AD). We do not have many burials with products in the heraldic style, and what we have managed conducting a comprehensive study of it with the help of archaeologists, geneticists and physicists gave us important and comprehensive information about the past of our region," Evgeny Vdovchenkov summed up.

Oleg Polozhentsev and Evgeny Vdovchenkov are currently analyzing the surface of the bones in order to determine the paint used for the shroud, but this study has not yet been completed. The first results of the project have been published in the journal Materials on Archaeology and History of the Ancient and Medieval Black Sea Region.