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Journal of Sistan and Baluchistan Studies

Journal of Sistan and Baluchistan Studies

ADULT SEX RATIO IN THE NECROPOLIS OF SHAHR-I SOKHTA, BRONZE AGE BACTRIA MARGIANA, AND INDUS VALLEY SITES

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors
1 Dipartimento Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Antropologia Fisica, Università del Salento, Italy - MAIPS, Multidisciplinary Archaeological Italian Project at Shahr-i Sokhta
2 Dipartimento SAGAS, Università di Firenze, Italy - MAIPS, Multidisciplinary Archaeological Italian Project at Shahr-i Sokhta - Dipartimento Beni Culturali, Laboratorio di Antropologia Fisica, Università del Salento, Italy
Abstract
A common observation in skeletal samples discovered during archaeological excavations is that male adult skeletons significantly outnumber female ones, while in living adult populations, the adult sex ratio (m/f) is close to 1. Male-biased archaeological sex ratios could partly be due to the rapid degradation of the more delicate female skeletons. In a large sample of necropolises from Southern Mediterranean, Northern Africa, and Middle East countries ranging from Neolithic to Middle Ages, we observed a mean sex ratio of 1.40. On the contrary, samples of adult skeletons from the necropolis of Shahr-i Sokhta, sexed by different authors using different methods, constantly show an overrepresentation of females (about 42% males and 58% females), i.e., a sex ratio of 0.72. Similar values have been observed in necropolis from chronologically close sites in the Bactria-Margiana and Indus Valley cultures (Gonur Depe, Mohenjo-Daro, Djarkutan, Rakhigarhi), We speculate that the most likely interpretation of this particular observation could be the uxorilocal settlement pattern in these populations.
Keywords

چکیده: از مشاهدات معمول و رایج در بقایای اسکلتی به‌دست آمده از کاوش‌های باستان‌شناسی آن است که اسکلت افراد بالغ مذکر به صورت معناداری بیشتر از نمونه‌های مربوط به افراد مؤنث است، در حالی که در جمعیت‌های افراد زندۀ بالغ، نسبت جنسیت افراد بالغ (مذکر/مؤنث) نزدیک به ۱ است. سوگیری در مورد نسبت جنسیت مردان در مطالعات باستان‌شناسی تا حدی به خاطر فرسایش سریع استخوان‌های شکننده‌تر زنان است. ما در نمونه بزرگی از تعدادی قبرستان، از مدیترانۀ جنوبی، آفریقای شمالی و کشورهای خاورمیانه، از دوره نوسنگی تا قرون وسطی، شاهد نسبت میانگین جنسیت ۱/۴۰ بودیم. در مقابل، نمونه‌های اسکلتهای افراد بالغ در قبرستان شهر سوخته که محققان مختلف با استفاده از روشهای متفاوت آنها را تعیین جنسیت کرده‌اند، به صورت مکرر، وجود بیش از حد جنس مؤنث را نشان می‌دهد (حدود %۴۲ مردان و %۵۸ زنان)، یعنی %۰/۷۲ نسبت جنسیت. از گورستان محوطه‌هایی با گاهنگاری نزدیک به فرهنگ‌های باختری-مروی و دره سند (گنور تپه، موهنجو دارو، جارکوتان، راخیگاری) مقادیر مشابهی مشاهده شد. حدس و گمان بر این است که محتمل‌ترین تفسیر در این مورد مشاهده شده خاص می‌تواند ناشی از الگوی سکونت در موطن همسر (زن) در این جمعیت‌ها باشد. 

کلیدواژه: عصر مفرغ، شهر سوخته، مجموعه باستانشناسی باختر (بلخ)-مرو، درۀ سند، گورستان، نسبت جنسیت افراد بالغ، جابجایی، محل سکونت مادرزادی.

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Volume 1, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
December 2021
Pages 11-19

  • Receive Date 22 September 2021
  • Revise Date 03 December 2021
  • Accept Date 13 December 2021
  • Publish Date 20 December 2021