Demography of the Crimean Tatar population of the 16th - 18th centuries (according to the materials of the necropolis near the village of Fontan)

Introduction. The article discusses the demographic characteristics of the population of the Crimean Tatar village of Karmysh-Kelechi of the 16th - 18th centuries based on the materials of Fontan-1 burial ground. Methods and materials. Research procedures included the construction of mortality tables that characterize the sequence of extinction of a certain generation of people or general patterns of changes in mortality for cohorts of the population with a similar order of extinction. The mortality tables contain various demographic indicators that were analyzed during the study. Results. As a result of the analysis, the author has found out the main demographic indicators of this population. These include a high mortality rate of children from newborn to 4 years with a predominance of children under 1 year; a slight predominance of the male population over the female; the average age of death for children was 20.6; the average age of death of the adult population - 36.5.; men lived three years longer than women. Moreover, in women, two peaks of mortality occur during the childbearing period and are probably associated with the stress that accompanies the female body during pregnancy and childbirth. The distribution of the male mortality reflects the natural process of aging and death. It is possible that the high infant mortality rate, as well as the lower average age of death, may be due to adverse external factors. The comparative analysis of the demographic indicators of the population who left Fountain-1 burial ground with synchronous groups shows that they all correspond to the indicators of populations of the Early Modern times and do not get out of the general context.