Descent, marriage, and residence practices of a 3,800-year-old pastoral community in Central Eurasia

Abstract

To date, knowledge about the biological side of familial organization in prehistoric societies has been limited. In particular, little is known about the structure of Bronze Age society in Eurasia at the village or household levels. Here, the skeletal community of a burial mound in the Southern Urals was studied using integrative methods from the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and palaeogenomics. It is suggested that the descent system of the 3,800-y-old livestock herders at Nepluyevsky was patrilineal and primarily determined by consanguinity between brothers. Monogamy was the marriage norm, and postmarital residence was patrilocal, with female membership being transferred to the husband’s group. Keywords: biological kinship, prehistoric family, monogamy/polygamy, palaeogenomes