The studying of bone remains of modern and fossil populations has always been of great importance to anthropological science, contributing to the study of its various directions. Studying the interplay of osteological features variability allows to characterize the structural type of a group of individuals, as well as to compare intergroup and intragroup variability. The regularities of variability and frequency distribution of variation features in the section of variant anatomy remain important. These features include the inconsistent bones of the skull. The purpose of the work was to study the variant anatomy ofinconstant bones of the human skull on the anthropological materials from the IV Verhniy- Saltov grave field (Ukraine). Material and methods. The research was carried out on 38 skulls currently stored in the Department of Human Anatomy of the V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Results and discussion. 12 skulls (31.5%) had sutural bones, 7 skulls (18.4%) had fontanel bone. Insular bones weren`t present. Inconstant bones were often located in several sutures at once or were combined with a fontanel. The bones of the lambdoid suture were the most common variant of the skull structure. They are present in 8 skulls (21%). The sutura contained 1-5 bones, characterized by elongated, comb-shaped or irregular shape. The bone of the sagittal suture was present in 1 skull (2.6%). It was a single lost bone of an elongated irregular form with size 16×33 mm. It combined with a full metopic (frontal) suture. The bones of the coronal suture were present on 3 skulls (6.8%). The bones of the occipito-mastoid, parieto-mastoid and squamosal sutures were not represented. The fontanel bones on the skulls were most often located in the place of the occipital fontanel. It was present in 4 skulls (10.5%) single, with triangular, quadrangular or irregular shape, sized from 9×20 mm till26 ×35 mm. The bones of parietal fontanel were found in 3 skulls (7.9%), with elongated or irregular shape. Bone sizes were 7-20 mm. The bone of the frontal fontanel was found in 1 skull (2.6%). It was a large bone 13×20 mm, with elongated shape. As well as the interosseous bones, the bones of the sphenoid fontanel and mastoid fontanel were not represented on the osteological material. Conclusion. Thus, the study of craniological material revealed relatively numerous and various discrete-variational features, which were morphologically represented by inconstant skull bones, which were in the structure of 14 skulls (36.8%). For comparison, in modern populations the frequency of this trait is 20-67% The frequency of the sutural bones was 31.6% fontanel bones frequency was 18.4% The obtained results of the craniological study extend and supplement the existing data on the variant anatomy of the inconstant skull bones. Further study of the interrelation of osteological features variability allows us to characterize the structural type of a group of individuals and to compare intergroup and intragroup variability. The restoration of morphological characteristics by osteometric features at the individual level has practical importance in archaeoanthropological reconstruction.
Keywords: variant anatomy, inconstant bones of the skull, Saltov culture, paleoanthropology
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