Western Kazakhstan Population in the Early Iron Age Based on Human Skeletal Remains from the Kos-Oba Cemetery

The article examines anthropological materials from the Kos-Oba cemetery of the Savromat-Sarmatian period based on craniometric and paleopathological data from the region located between the Ural and Volga rivers in Western Kazakhstan. The results of craniometric analysis are indicative of the continuity of the population from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD, as well as the physical resemblance between the people from Kos-Oba and those inhabiting the UralRiver basin. Paleopathological data also indicate that this sample does not stand out in frequencies of traumas and pathologies from the early nomad groups of the Volga-Ural region and Western Kazakhstan. One of the skulls has a trephine opening, possibly performed with medical purposes or representing a result of ritual manipulation. This study shows that the Kos-Oba cemetery can be reviewed as a part of the large Savromat-Sarmatian site systems, which are present not only in the UralRiver basin and the Ustyurt, but also in the Southern Urals, Northern Aral and Northern Caspian region.