Paleodemography of the Belynichi Population in 17th–19th Centuries (Belarus)

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2024-2/347-363

Authors

  • Svetlana Borutskaya M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University
  • Sergey Vasilyev the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology
  • Aleksandr Vashanau the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
  • Maryia Tkachova the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
  • Valentsina Vinnikava the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
  • Olga Marfina the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

Keywords:

age cohort, palaeodemography, mortality peak, percentage of child mortality, life expectancy, final age cohort

Abstract

The paper presents a paleodemographic study of a 17th–19th centuries population from the town of Belynichi, Mogilev region, Republic of Belarus. The average life expectancy was 27 years, while the average life expectancy of the adult population was 38.5 years. That is consistent with the data on the population of many Russian cities of the late Middle Ages and New Age. The sex ratio in the group was unusual: about 39% adult men and almost 23% more women. The reason for such difference should probably be sought in historical events. The percentage of child mortality is very high — just over 50%. That is, half of the population died in childhood, with almost a quarter of them under 5 years of age, and 10% under one year of age. The high infant mortality in the group from Belynichy is similar to that in Nizhny Novgorod (burial ground of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin) and the Blokhino-1 fortress of the 17th–18th centuries. The final age cohort is not representative, neither in the male nor in the female part of the sample. 64% fewer men than women lived to the age of 50. The main peak of mortality in the group is 0–5 years of age. The second-high mortality peak is observed between 40 and 45 years. The extremely low mortality in the early adult age cohorts of 15–20 and 20–25 years in the studied group is unusual for its time and location.

Author Biographies

  • Svetlana Borutskaya, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Borutskaya, Svetlana B. — Ph.D. in Biology, Researcher of the Department of Anthropology of the Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: vasbor1@yandex.ru

  • Sergey Vasilyev, the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology

    Vasilyev, Sergey V. — Doctor of History, Professor, Chief Researcher, the Russian Academy of Sciences N. N. Miklouho-Maklay Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology (Moscow, Russian Federation). Leading Researcher, the Center for Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: vasbor1@yandex.ru

  • Aleksandr Vashanau, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

    Vashanau, Aleksandr M. — Researcher at the Department of Archeology of Primitive Society, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Minsk, Republic of Belarus). E-mail: belantrop@tut.by

  • Maryia Tkachova, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

    Tkachova, Maryia I. — Researcher at the Department of Archeology of Primitive Society, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Minsk, Republic of Belarus). E-mail: belantrop@tut.by

  • Valentsina Vinnikava, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

    Vinnikava, Valentsina Y. — Junior researcher, Graduate student of the Anthropology Department, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Minsk, Republic of Belarus). E-mail: belantrop@tut.by

  • Olga Marfina, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

    Marfina, Olga V. — Ph.D. in History, Associate Professor, Head of the Anthropology Department, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Minsk, Republic of Belarus). E-mail: belantrop@tut.by

    For citation: Borutskaya, S. B., S. V. Vasilyev, A. M. Vashanau, M. I. Tkachova, V. Y. Vinnikava, and O. V. Marfina. 2024. Paleodemography of the Belynichi Population in 17th–19th Centuries (Belarus). Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 2: 347–363.

    Funding: The article was prepared within the framework of the RNF-BRFFI grant 23-48-10011 "Bioarchaeological Reconstruction of the Lifestyle and Physical Characteristics of the Medieval Population of Belarus and the European Part of Russia".

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Published

08.06.2024

Issue

No. 2 (2024): Herald of Anthropology

Section

Physical anthropology