MORPOLOGICAL AND GENETICAL POLYMORPHISM OF GEORGIA’S LATE ANTIQUE-EARLY MIDDLE AGES POPULATION

Abstract

“Morphological and genetical polymorphism of Georgia’s late antique-early middle ages population”, covers an important period of the Georgian history, one of the characteristics of which was an increase in the arrival of the various ethnic groups. In the 30 B.C.  Octavian took the power and ended the republic in Rome, which led to the end of the so-called Hellenistic period and began a Roman Empire, or late-antique Period. By this time period, significant ethnical changes took place in the whole Caucasus populations. Important are the facts that hint at relationships between various ethnic groups, ethnic settlement waves, which could have been the cause of the anthropological characteristics of the population. As for the early middle ages, the early feudal period of the Georgian history (IV-X centuries) is filled with important historical events such as internal social-economical development, as well as in terms of external political relationships. It is considered that in order to grasp the characteristics of the modern Georgian population, anthropological study of the early Middle Ages population of Georgia is of crucial importance. This is precisely the time period when the foundations were laid for the epochal transformations that ended with the formation of types present in the modern Georgian population, and thus, play a significant role in the anthropological history. The time period explored in this manner is of quite high relevance in terms of anthropology, archeology and history.

The paper examines the late antique-early medieval skulls preserved in In the Anthropology Laboratory of the Iv. Javakhishvili Institute of History and Ethnology. Morphological polymorphism involves the anthropological study of skulls and revealing the differences and similarities between them. To do this, the skulls of both study periods were measured by 14 marks, against which the sex was compared. In addition to cranial analysis, demographics are included in the study. The age structure of both the late antique and early medieval populations was made. The average age of death of the late antique-early medieval population was revealed in both men and women. Finally, DNA research is included in the study to prove the polymorphism of the population. DNA research was conducted on 40 samples from the late antique-early medieval period sites: Samtavro, Zhinvali, Nedzikhi, Aragvispiri, Bodbe, Fikri Gora, Khuntsi, Klde, Chiatura. Despite the lack of research material, genetic research has made it possible to confirm that the migration of different peoples was observed in the population of that time.

Keywords: Physical Anthropology; Morphological polymorphism; Demography; DNA; Late Antiquity-Early Middle Ages.