Human population differentiation in the peri-Baltic Mesolithic: the odontometrics of Oleneostrovskii mogilnik (Karelia)

摘要: Odontometric data are reported for Oleneostrovskii mogilnik, a Mesolithic cemetery in the Karelian USSR. Containing skeletal remains of 148 individuals and dated to 7500b.p., it is largest oldest known peri-Baltic cemeteries. The dental from this site compared those Skateholm, where dimensions closely approximate mean tooth sizes all late European material. Olenii ostrov possesses significantly smaller dentition, despite antedating Skateholm sample by 1500 years. Geographic, archaeological, linguistic ancillary discussed which argue strongly presence northern Europe at least two quasi-isolated human mating networks. One these, documented ostrov, may also represent earliest evidence establishment taiga zone populations whose descendants modern Saami (=”Lapps”).