Tatiana V. Andreeva^1,2,3,*, Tatiana V. Ustkachkintseva^1,3,**, Vladimir V. Sedov^4,***, Maria V. Dobrovolskaya^4,****, Viktoria I. Danilevskaya^4,*****, and Evgeny I. Rogaev^2,5,******

¹Centre for Genetics and Genetic Technologies, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
²Research Centre for Genetics and Life Sciences, Sirius University, Sirius Federal Territory, Russia
³Vavilov Institute for General Genetics RAS, Moscow, Russia
⁴Institute of Archaeology RAS, Moscow, Russia
⁵University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Shrewsbury, USA

*E-mail: andreeva@rogaevlab.ru
**E-mail: ysttattati@gmail.com
***E-mail: sedov1960@mail.ru
****E-mail: mk_pa@mail.ru
*****E-mail: viktorys08@gmail.com
******E-mail: evivrecc@gmail.com

Keywords: white stone sarcophagus, ancient Rus elite, individual genome.

Modern archaeogenetics studies extensive datasets of materials as well as individual people. Individual studies typically aim to identify a specific historical person. Of special interest is the study of individuals lacking historical records, while the archaeological context of their burials suggests their high social status. The complex study of such a burial is the goal of this article. The archaeological study of the Pereslavl-Zalessky Cathedral and surrounding area (headed by Vl.V. Sedov) was conducted in 2020. The white-stone sarcophagus and a burial in it were uncovered in the northern part of the Cathedral. The burial in sarcophagus No. 5 belongs to an individual of high status. This is evident both from its location within the cathedral and from the very fact that a white-stone sarcophagus was constructed for this person. Sarcophagus No. 5 can be dated to the 14th–15th centuries AD, i.e. before the emergence of true anthropomorphic sarcophagi which have rounded or rectangular shoulders on the outside. The skeletal remains, which are well preserved but incomplete, belong to a man aged about 50 with signs of age-related changes. The results of genomic analysis showed a mixed origin of the individual. This may be the result of marriages between persons of genetically different population, which is typical for medieval elites. The most likely origin of his ancestors, based on the results of the analysis of autosomal markers and mtDNA, may be associated with the Alanic groups and the medieval population of the western Balkan Peninsula. The probable close family marriages of his parents that were identified during the study are common for the aristocracy.

DOI: 10.7868/S3034577425040101