RESULTS OF A PALEOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE POPULATION OF POLOTSK IN THE XI–XIII CENTURIES (BASED ON DATA FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS IN THE UPPER CASTLE AREA)
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Abstract
This article presents the results of a paleopathological study of the 11th–13th-century population of Polotsk, whose skeletal remains were discovered during an archaeological investigation of the Upper Castle site. As a result, the following groups of diseases and pathological conditions were recorded: skull injuries, signs of maxillary sinus inflammation, diseases of the dentofacial system, markers of physiological stress, degenerative diseases of the spine, osteoarthritic lesions of the joints of the postcranial skeleton, degenerative changes in the acromioclavicular and sternoclavicular joints, the sacroiliac joint, periosteal reaction on the diaphyses of long tubular bones, and injuries to the postcranial skeleton. According to statistical data, the most common findings in the osteological material from Polotsk are dental diseases (periodontal disease, caries, jaw abscesses) and degenerative changes in the spine (osteophytosis, Schmorl’s hernias, spondyloarthrosis). The study established a correlation between the changing living conditions of the urban population and the range of pathological conditions identified in the medieval inhabitants of Polotsk.
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References
Папярэднія вынікі даследавання могільніка ХІ–ХІІІ стст. на тэрыторыі Верхняга замка Полацка / І.У. Магалінскі, В.А. Емельянчык, А.Л. Коц, П.М. Кенько // Вестник Полоцкого государственного университета. Серия А, Гуманитарные науки. – 2023. – № 2(67). – С. 6–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52928/2070-1608-2023-67-2-6-12.
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