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TO THE DEMOGRAPHY OF TAJIKS OF KARATEGIN: PALEODEMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF XVIII – XX CC. SAMPLE FROM SICHAROG CEMETERY // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2019. Issue 1 (23). P. 146-156

The paper outlines the results of a paleodemographic study on XVIII – XX cc. sample from Sicharog cemetery (Tajikistan, Districts of Republican Subordination). The Sicharog skeletal sample consists of 114 individuals. The material was obtained as a result of rescue archaeological excavation at the zone of construction of the Rogun Hydroelectric power station. The analysis includes computation of the standard paleodemographic parameters; life-tables and demographic curves for the male and female are presented. The Sicharog sample is characterized by a close to normal sex ratio, with a slight predominance of males relative to females. Despite the same average life expectancy for males and females (about 34–35 years), the number of females who survived to the final age interval (50+) is almost twice as high as that of males. The results of a comparative study (using Correspondence Analysis) allow to conclude that the demographic patterns of Sicharog sample are close to those of the skeletal population from rural cemeteries in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan and differ significantly from the demographic patterns of the population of elite urban necropolises (Bukhara and its neighborhood). It is concluded that the paleodemographic data adequately reflect the real demographic situation in the adult part of the Sicharog population. Possible reasons for the insignificant representation of subadult skeletons in this sample and in other completely excavated cemeteries representing close to the contemporary population of Central Asia, are discussed. The obtained results are important in that they represent a new source of information on the paleodemography of close to Modern population of the Central Asia as a whole, and the Tajiks of Karategin in particular.

Keywords: physical anthropology, paleodemography, Sicharog, Tajikistan, Modern history