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Introduction. The paper is devoted to a study of archaeological and anthropological features of the four Pre-Scythian burials from the burial grounds of the Volga-Don interfluves. Material and Methods. In the course of the study, materials from the monuments Marinovka, Kurgan, 1 burial 17 have been examined; Pervomaisky VII, kurgan 46, burial 8; Pervomaisky VIII, kurgan 5, burial 1 and Baranovka I, kurgan10, burial 11. In order to evaluate the archaeological context, a typological research method and the results of radiocarbon dating are applied; for the purpose of studying anthropological features, craniological analysis and pathological conditions analysis were conducted. Analysis and Discussion. The study of the funeral rite and the material culture grave goods of the Pre-Scythian period made it possible to attribute the three burials to the so-called “Chernogorovsky type” and one to the “Novocherkassk type”. The dates comparison obtained by the relative chronology method with radiocarbon dating showed some underestimation of the existent burials timing in absolute dates. Individual skulls features revealed heterogeneity of composition which is associated with both the previous Late Bronze Age population from this territory who practiced the crouched position of the deceased in funeral rituals, and with newcomer groups morphologically similar to the population of the Bronze Age of Southern Siberia (Karasuk) who use elongated bones practice in the funeral rite. Furthermore, a series of the skulls pathological features showed their similarity to the population of the Sauromatian-Sarmatian period who practiced nomadic lifestyle. Conclusions: The materials from the monuments of the Volga-Don interfluve described in the paper illustrate the burial traditions similarity and morphological specificity of the Pre-Scythian population from the Northern Black Sea, the Lower Don and the Ciscaucasia regions.

The article analyses the findings of fossils, archaeological sites, and historical literature on the distribution of saigas in Ukraine during the Quaternary period. Most findings of saiga fossils are concentrated in the Crimea and the Northern Black Sea region. However, the northernmost record localities of the species are known from the territory of Rivne Oblast. The oldest finds date back to the Middle Palaeolithic period. The most famous sites of the Middle Palaeolithic period are Illinka Cave (Odesa Oblast) and a number of Crimean sites, such as Aji Koba, Alimov’s Canopy, Za-Skelna V, Temna Cave, and Prolom II. Saiga remains were found in the faunal collections of Late Palaeolithic sites, including Anetivka II (Odesa Oblast), Buran Kaya IV, and Suren I in the Crimea. Remains of saiga from the Mesolithic period were discovered in Odesa (Myrne) and Zaporizhzhia oblasts (Kamianna Mohyla), and in the Crimea (Syuren II, Alimovskiy canopy, Zamil Koba, etc.). Remains from the Neolithic, Bronze, and Early Iron Ages come from Odesa (Usatove) and Kherson (Mykhailivka) oblasts. The analysis of the history of the saiga’s distribution range in Ukraine allows us to determine the probability of the first migrations of the species to the region during the Pleistocene (MIS 5– MIS2). The relatively large number of localities where saiga remains have been found suggests that favourable conditions for the species’ existence were formed in the territory of modern Ukraine at that time. Xerophytization of steppe phytocoenoses contributed to the saiga’s spread throughout history. Until the mid-18th century, the saiga was a common game species, hunted for its meat and horns. The reduction of the species’ range and population in Ukraine took place during the 18th century under the pressure of uncontrolled hunting, intensification of agriculture (which led to changes in natural habitats and seasonal migration routes), nomadic cattle breeding (which caused depression of pastures and competition for trophic resources), and, in some cases, climatic disasters associated with excessive snow cover. The final disappearance of the species from the fauna of Ukraine occurred in the first half of the 19th century. The data on morphological parameters of saiga remains from some Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological sites are presented.

Anatomical variations in the structure of the pterion were examined in various craniological series representing modern populations from Australia, Melanesia, Southeast Asia, North Asia, America, and Europe, encompassing 2035 adult crania. The comparison of populations based on the frequency of nonmetric traits revealed significant diversity across regions. Notably, the sphenoparietal connection is most frequent in European and South Asian populations, as well as among Native Americans, while it is least common among African groups. The frontotemporal connection predominates among Australian Aborigines and Melanesians and is also common in African populations but is almost non-existent in Europeans. The X-shaped pterion is most frequently observed in the Eskimos of Chukotka and the Chukchi, as well as among Somali and Tanzanian populations. A high frequency of epipteric bones is particularly characteristic of Southern Indians, Burmese, Australians, and Melanesians. Pairwise comparisons of populations were conducted using Smith's Mean Measure of Divergence (MMD). To visualize the data from individual regions, the method of Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) was applied to the matrices of biological distances. The MDS plot for the North Asian region revealed distinct clusters of the Arctic, Baikal, Central Asian, and Ural groups, aligning with G.F. Debetz's classification based on morphological similarities among populations. In the MDS plot for the South and Southeast Asian, American, and African populations, Australians and Melanesians formed a separate cluster; Pueblo Indians were closely aligned with Peruvians, South Indians with Burmese, Malays merged with Papuans, and African populations were positioned relatively close to each other. In Europe, Caucasian groups formed a distinct cluster. On the combined graph, the populations were clearly divided by regions. The results obtained indicate that the spatial arrangement of populations on the graphs approximately mirrors their genetic connections and shared origins. This suggests that nonmetric variations in the pterion area are more likely determined by genetic rather than ecological factors and can be considered taxonomically valuable traits at the regional level. Investigating the structure of the pterion in an evolutionary context may shed light on broader questions concerning the evolution of the skull and the mechanisms influencing its formation.

The problems of the relationship between the cultures of the Volga-Kama region in general and the formation of the Udmurt ethnos involve scientists of various specializations. The main task of this work is to make a comprehensive description of the burial from the Tolyonsky burial ground located on the territory of the Debessky district of Udmurtia on the right bank of the Cheptsy River. Excavations were carried out by V.A. Semenov in the 1980s. Archaeological and anthropological material is stored in the Ivanova Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve Idnakar of the Udmurt Republic. The absolute radiocarbon dating of the sample was obtained: 1440 ± 69 years. An anthropological study of the remains revealed a predominant body type as thoracic or pectorally muscular; the living body length was 166 cm. The studied individual was distinguished by brachycephaly, large latitudinal dimensions of the face, and a protruding nose shape. A scientific restoration of the appearance by the method of M.M. Gerasimov was carried out; contour and graphic portraits (full face and profile) were presented. Taking into account the results of genetic analysis, a watercolor artistic portrait was made. For the first time, comprehensive paleogenetic studies have been carried out on a representative of the Polomskaya archaeological culture. The Y-chromosomal haplogroup N1a1a1a2b (B181) and the mitochondrial haplogroup U4 have been established with high reliability. The identified haplogroups in individual no. 93 from the Tolyonsky burial ground along the male and female lines are geographically confined to the Central Volga-Ural region, which is consistent with the results of anthropological and archaeological research. With a probability of more than 97%, the color of the iris of the eyes is predicted to be blue in this individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of North Africa has been always tightly connected to events occurring in Eurasia. Human migrations in both directions are well-documented in written sources and archaeological records. To gain a comprehensive understanding of historical processes, it is essential to study the remains of individuals who inhabited this region during various time periods. A lack of cranial metric data on the Medieval population of North Africa impedes thorough investigation of the population history of the region. This paper presents a craniometric study of the sample from the Southern necropolis at Deraheib. This study contributes to filling the existing void in the understanding of the Medieval population of North Africa. According to written sources, the site was a center of gold mining, known as the city of al-Allaki, dated to the 9th to 15th centuries AD. The city attracted a diverse population seeking economic opportunities. Besides this, Al-Allaki served as an important point on the caravan route which was utilized by merchants and pilgrims traversing the Nubian Desert on their way to Jeddah. The study analyzes cranial metrics of a total of 23 individuals (14 male and 9 female) skulls recovered from the southern necropolis Deraheib sample and employs 55 linear dimensions, following Martin's/Howells craniometric protocol as well as some additional measurements. Statistical analyses were performed using the R language packages and the Multican software. Our results revealed heterogeneity of the sample in male and female parts of the sample at the intragroup level: an observation aligning with existing archaeological and historical evidence. The limited size of the sample warns against any firm conclusions regarding affinities of the Deraheib population. Our intergroup comparison has shown that the cranial sample from the Southern Necropolis of the Deraheib site displays morphological features that are more similar to neighboring Caucasoid populations rather than equatorial groups from East Africa.

The paper touches upon the history of biological anthropology study of the Tagar culture bearers that inhabited the Southern Siberia in the VIII–II centuries BC. The author of the research highlighted the key issues of biological anthropology studies of the Tagar culture: 1) The genesis issues of the Tagar culture (the discussion about the contribution of the Karasuk culture representatives to the formation of the Tagar population anthropological composition); 2) The issue of classifying burials in barrows by timeline, resulting in attribution of individuals from different timelines to a single sampling in anthropological research; 3) The issue of grouping paleoanthropological material due to the constant revision of the chronology of the Tagar culture; 4) The issue of intergroup variability (morphological changes on the bone remains of the Tagar culture population from different timelines). The author extensively examines the key papers by anthropologists of the XX century, dedicated to studying the population of the Tagar culture. The author reviewed the main theories and hypotheses on the genesis issues of the Tagar culture population made by G.F. Debets, V.P. Alekseyev, V.A. Dremov, and A.G. Kozintsev. The current state of anthropological studies of the Tagar culture population is analyzed in the paper.

In the present paper, fully based on previously published craniological and dental non-metric data, the origins of common morphological elements in the compositions of representatives of the Sargatka and Bolsherechenskaya Cultures are investigated. An attempt is made to assess the available data with the aid of the integrated analysis, implying combined examination of craniological and dental non-metric data for each population. The previous studies of the craniological and dental non-metric data showed that the series are significantly distinct in the differentiation by the vector ‘west-east’, or, in other words, Caucasoidness-Mongoloidness. Despite this, their certain affinity was recorded repeatedly, both in the analysis of craniometric data as well as in the study of odontoscopic data, but no explanation of this peculiarity has yet been proposed. The craniological sample of the Sargatka Culture comprised 158 crania and the dental non-metric one — 424 crania. The boundaries of the areal of the Sargatka Culture encompass the forest-steppe zone of the south of Western Siberia: the basins of the rivers Tobol, Ishim, and Irtysh, and the Baraba forest-steppe. The examined materials were divided in four groups corresponding to these territories. The craniological sample of the Bolsherechenskaya Culture comprised 118 crania, and the dental non-metric data amounted to 326 crania. The Bolsherechenskaya Culture materials originate from 11 burial grounds in the territory of the Novosibirsk Ob basin. All data were previously published. In the results, the population interaction of the bearers of the Sargat and Belsherechenskaya Cultures has been recorded, in which some representatives of the Kamenskaya Culture of the forest-steppe Altai were also involved, which is confirmed by archaeological data. However, it should be emphasized that this interaction was not so widescale. The Sargatka series, being located near to the Bolsherechenskaya ones, are also located in the same field with autochthonous Siberian groups. This becomes the evidence of the fact that not only the interaction in the Early Iron Age binds together the representatives of the Sargatka and Bolsherechenskaya Cultures. The fact is that the specificity of the anthropological composition of the Bolsherechenskaya people is directly related to the most ancient autochthonous Siberian populations, whereas the specific features of the Sargatka people — to southwestern migrants. However, an important result of the conducted analysis is that the composition of the Sargatka series retains the specific elements which are characteristic of the autochthonous populations of Western Siberia and which do not disappear under the influence of foreign migrant groups — this is the maturised structure of the lower molars.

The article presents paleoanthropological materials from the early period of the functioning of the Berel burial mound Pazyryk culture. The monument is located in Altai (Republic of Kazakhstan). The author presents craniological, odontological data and evidence of post-mortem manipulations with the bones of individuals from large mounds that belonged to people of high social status. The physical characteristics of the population represented in the burial mound find analogies both in the Pazyryk culture and among the population of the Saka cultures of Central Asia. The presence of a female skull with a Mongoloid appearance in mound 16 confirms already existing ideas about the participation of individuals with an eastern, Mongoloid appearance in the full life of the Pazyryk community. Post-mortem manipulations with bodies, traces of which are recorded on the skeletal remains of persons of high social status at the Berel burial mound, significantly complement the database for understanding the nuances of burial traditions associated with the artificial mummification of bodies. Farewell ceremonies in a nomadic lifestyle are not always possible in a short time. It can be assumed that the mummification of bodies was a preparatory stage for a complex and lengthy process of farewell traditions before the burial of the body in an arid climate.

Presented in the publication are the craniological data on a series of early nomads of the Sarmatian type from the Industrialnaya Zona (Poyma) cemetery in the territory of Terekti District of Western Kazakhstan Oblast. Age and sex determinations were given for 61 burials of the Early Iron Age and five of the Bronze Age. The craniological series is represented by 32 crania, of which 20 are male and 12 are female. They are characterized by similar morphological features characteristic of the population of the Ural River Basin. As of today, this series is one of the largest, and it dates to a rather narrow chronological period of the 4th–3rd cс. BC. The ‘Sauromato-Sarmatian’ population across the whole territory of its settlement demonstrates biological unity, which is also confirmed by the palaeogenetic data. It is likely that the Volga-Ural and Cisaral regions constituted the hearth of the racial genesis, which is associated with the origin of the early nomads of the arid zones from the Urals to Ancient Khwarazm and from the Turgay to the Lower Don regions and the formation of the specific craniological complex, with large latitudinal characteristics of the cranium and facial region. The angles of the horizontal profiling feature significant flattening at the upper level, while at the lower level it is at the borderline between the Caucasoid and Mongoloid types with the nasal bones protruding prominently in profile. Also presented in the publication is the graphic reconstruction of the face from the cranium from burial No. 3, mound No. 10. The features presented in the physical appearance of the reconstruction reflect what the ancient nomads of the Ural River Basin looked like. The comparison of the craniological characteristics of the Industrialnaya Zone cemetery against a broad background of the comparative materials, generalised from the cultures of the Early Iron Age, showed that the craniological features of the group do not differ from the surrounding population with similar cultural characteristics of the Volga-Ural region, Western Kazakhstan, and the Lower Don region at the end of the 6th — 3rd c. BC.

This study aimed to control radiation doses when using a portable supine dental panoramic radiography system by measured the scattered doses. The study used LPX7007 (Asahi Roentgen) for the panoramic radiography system. The subjects comprised a cylinder phantom (QualitA) and a RANDO Phantom (Alderson). The semiconductor dosimeter was an X2 survey sensor (RaySafe). The phantom was set at a height of 1 m from the floor, and the sensor was set at 1 m from the floor at the genital level and 1.5 m at the lens level. Measurements were taken at 30°intervals clockwise from 0°at distances of 0.5 m and 1 m in radius around the phantom. The occupational exposure range was defined as 0 ± 30° and the public exposure range was defined as the occupational exposure range and 30° to 150° and 210° to 330° as the public exposure range. The highest doses were observed in the 120° and 240° directions, and the lowest in 0° ± 30° range. The lowest limit number of images taken in the occupational exposure range was 130 images at a distance of 0.5 m, 452 images at 1 m at the lens level for the cylinder phantom, and 320 images at 0.5 m and 1098 images at 1 m for the RANDO Phantom. In the public exposure range at the genital level, there was one image at 0.5 m and six images at 1 m for the cylinder phantom, and two images at 0.5 m and eight images at 1 m for the RANDO Phantom. We found that radiation exposure can be reduced by keeping a distance from the subject, avoiding working at 120° and 240° and staying within 0° ± 30° behind the panoramic radiography system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human skulls study occupies a special place in anthropology due to a significant informational role of this part of the skeleton in determining both general (group) and individual features enabling restoration of individual physical topology and lifetime appearance. The paper provides the anthropological type description of the ancient population from the Lower Volga region according to the data of craniology and sculptural anthropological reconstruction of the face from the skull. In the course of the study, two female and two male skulls were craniologically analyzed using the typological approach. Sculptural anthropological reconstructions were obtained for three skulls: the two female and one male. Reconstruction of the external appearance of the face from the skull of the second male skull was carried out using a digital method. Anthropological type featuring of the two female skulls from the Srubna culture and the pre-Sauromatian time burials allows us to determine their type as a Long-headed Caucasoids, predominant among the Late Bronze Age population. The male skulls of the Early Iron Age are also characterized by Caucasoid features, but they have a brachycranial skull and a weakened horizontal profiling of the face. The presence of a long-headed Caucasoid complex on the female skull from the pre-Sauromatian burial, combined with a crouched on the left side funeral rite, suggests that the studied individuals had a partial continuity from the Bronze Age population. The morphological features of the Sauromatian and Early Sarmatian skulls have analogies in the synchronous population of Western Kazakhstan, Southern Urals and the Lower Volga region. Visualization of the bone structures of the facial skull gives an idea of how the population from the Lower Volga region looked like in different eras.

The aim of the article is to preliminarily analyse the Polish anthropological terminology included in the most important 19th-century Kraków Słownik terminologii lekarskiej polskiej [Dictionary of Polish Medical Terminology] by S. Janikowski, J. Oettinger and A. Kremer, which was created during the period when anthropology was emerging as a new science. Anthropological terms had appeared in Kraków's medical dictionaries before (over 40%), but it was in S 1881 that they were first distinguished from medical terminology and marked with the qualifier antr. The anthropological terminology for S 1881 was prepared by prominent anthropologists who were also physicians: I. Kopernicki and J. Majer. Out of 195 Polish terms, over 70% apply to craniology and craniometry, reflecting the main direction of the development in Polish anthropology. The Polish terms are definitely indigenous. More than 80% are one- (55.4%) and two-element terms (26.2%). Synonymy is present in the analysed terminology (40.4%), although there is a visible tendency to limit the number of Polish terms in synonymic series to two (73.7%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some specialists in Crimean archaeology tend to believe that Early Medieval Crimean vaults may contain bone remains of the Alans who once moved to the peninsula from the Caucasus. Such an assumption is based on the similarity of vault burial structures and T-shaped Alanian catacomb graves. However, arguments like this is fairly criticized by specialists in Sarmatian archaeology. We have tried to test this hypothesis with the use of methods taken from physical anthropology. In addition to materials from Crimean burial grounds of Suvlu-Kaya, Inkerman, Chernaya Rechka and from Early Alanian sites in the North Caucasus, we used a wide range of comparative materials from various archaeological cultures of Eastern, Central and Southern Europe. The conclusion is that people buried in the Crimean vaults were hardly related to the Alans or the Sarmatians and presumably originated from autochthonous ‘Taurian’ population. At the same time, the physical appearance of people buried in niche graves is very similar to that of people belonging to the Late Sarmatian and the Early Alanian groups.

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Paul Bouts (1900–1999) was a Belgian pedagogue, a Roman Catholic priest, and the founder of Psychognomy, which is a personality diagnostic system combining phrenology and several related practices – typology, craniofacial measurements, physiognomy, graphology etc. Bouts had a fragile health; therefore, it is unlikely that he travelled to Brazil. Despite this, his most famous book, rich in conservative and religious thoughts, was translated to Portuguese and published with ecclesiastic support in 1943, and the doctrine acquired good reputation among Brazilian members of the clergy, politicians, teachers, and military personnel. Lay scholars and medical doctors founded a Brazilian institute devoted to the study and diffusion of psychognomy in 1949. They published two volumes of a psychognomy treatise, and the institute was active until the early 1960s, when social interest in the subject rapidly vanished.

The German anatomist and palaeontologist Hermann Klaatsch arrived in Australia to study the aborigines in March 1904. The aim of his trip was to continue his research on the phylogenetic history of humanity and test his colleague at the University of Heidelberg Otto Schoetensack’s hypothesis that Australia was the cradle of humankind. He travelled the country’s coastline without interruption, except for a trip of a few months to Java, until May 1906. During his trip, which also included Tasmania, Klaatsch studied the aborigines from an anthropological, craniological, and material culture perspective, taking notes, making drawings, taking photographs of the natives, and compiling ethnographic collections which were dispatched to several German museums. Klaatsch made nearly 400 photographs of Australian natives and took plaster casts of the foot of an individual, owing to its atavistic anatomy. This latter generated a misunderstanding in a local newspaper that soon reached the international media, about the alleged discovery of the “missing link” in Australia. On his return from Australia in April 1907, Klaatsch was appointed extraordinary professor in anatomy, anthropology and ethnography, and curator of collections at the anatomical institute and the ethnological museum at the University of Breslau (Wroclaw, Polonia).

Introduction Skeletal Class III is one of a complex sagittal interjaw relationship. It is the result of malrelation in sagittal position of one or both jaw bones or disproportionate ratio of their length. Objective This study was carried out to assess the effective mandibular and maxillary bases length in developing Class III malocclusion with high and low mandibular plane angles. Materials and methods Cross-sectional study was carried out on a selected sample of 75 lateral cephalometric radiographs of orthodontic patients of both sexes with age ranged from 6 to 12 years old. They were divided into three equal groups. Group 1: normal ANB and mandibular plane angles as a control group, group 2: skeletal Class III with low mandibular plane angles, and group 3: skeletal Class III with high mandibular plane angles. The sample was collected from patient record files at the clinic of the Orthodontic Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Tanta University, Egypt. Results A statistically significant difference was found in the effective maxillary length between group 1 and group 2 and 3. While effective mandibular length showed no statistically significant differences between the three groups. Conclusion Short maxillary base length is the main etiological factor for skeletal Class III malocclusion. While prominent mandibular base length has minimal effect in development of skeletal Class III malocclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craniology – the practice of inferring intelligence differences from the measurement of human skulls – survived the dismissal of phrenology and remained a widely popular research program until the end of the nineteenth century. From the 1970s, historians and sociologists of science extensively focused on the explicit and implicit socio-cultural biases invalidating the evidence and claims that craniology produced. Building on this literature, I reassess the history of craniological practice from a different but complementary perspective that relies on recent developments in the epistemology of measurement. More precisely, I identify two aspects of the measurement culture of nineteenth-century craniologists that are crucial to understand the lack of validity of craniological inference: their neglect of the problem of coordination for their presupposed quantification of intelligence and their narrow view of calibration. Based on my analysis, I claim that these methodological shortcomings amplified the impact of the socio-cultural biases of craniologists, which had a pervasive role in their evidential use of measurement. Finally, my argument shows how the epistemology of measurement perspective can offer useful tools in debates concerning the use of biological evidence to foster social discourse and for analyzing the relationship between theory, evidence, and measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the anthropological study of a mass grave located in the grounds of the kremlin of Pereslavl-Zalessky (European Russia). It has been preliminary dated to the 13th — first half of the 14th century. This study is aimed at craniological investigation and establishing anthropological connections of the Medieval population of Pereslavl-Zalessky, as well as clarification of the circumstances of appearance of the mass burial within the town territory with the aid of anthropological methods. The human remains were analyzed to identify the number of individuals and to determine their sex and age. Determination of sex and age and recording of injuries were carried out on the craniological material. The craniological program was used to study 28 male and 16 female skulls. A canonical discriminant analysis was used for the intergroup analysis. The mass burial contained separated bones of 80 adults and 19 children. It was possible to identify 30 males and 24 females. The male component of the group was represented by virtually all age groups. The female part comprised mainly women aged 20–35. Therefore, the interred were placed in the grave spontaneously, considerably later after their death; the bodies had time to decompose completely. Eleven instances of skull injuries without signs of necrotic process and healing were recorded. The location and characteristics of the burial and presence of several instances of fatal lacerated wounds indicate that the city residents died in the course of a military clash. Therefore, the studied series represents a time slice of the population of the medieval city. The canonical discriminant analysis on the craniological series of 53 revealed that the studied series is distinct from the territorially and chronologically close series of Yaroslavl and Kostroma Krivichs. It also showed that the formation of the population of Pereslavl-Zalessky was strongly influenced by the migration of the Ilmen Slovens and Smolensk-Polotsk Krivichs. Among the specifics of the Pereslavl series, also noteworthy is the strong influence of southern Russian migrants. On the contrary, the influence of the Finno-Ugric morphological component on the urban population of the 13th–14th centuries was very insignificant.

The Narym Selkups are an indigenous population of the Middle Ob River region speaking various dialects of the Selkup language related to the South-Samodian branch of the Ural language family. In the course of the study of Medieval and relatively recent burial grounds in the territory of the Narym Ob area of Tomsk Oblast, conside-rable amount of craniological material has been collected, which constitutes an important historical source for solving general problems of their origins. According to the archaeological and ethnographic materials, the Medieval burials were left by direct ascendants of modern Narym Selkups, whereas the materials from the later burial grounds are directly associated with their specific local-dialect groups. This paper is aimed to introduce into scientific discourse virtually all craniological materials known today from the burial grounds left by the Narym Selkups, and, on the basis of the results of group cross-correlation, to identify trends of the territorial variability of the whole community. Significant increase of new finds from the vast territory of the Middle Ob region, population-driven approach to the data analysis and development of the craniometric technique warranted re-grouping of the finds by the territorial principle and their repeated measurement and analysis. In view of the current problem, all craniological materials were grouped into ten sampling series, five of which are published for the first time (the burial ground of Ostyatskaya Gora and four combined craniological series from the burial grounds of Lower Chulym, Narym Ob, Upper Ket, and the Tym and Vasyugan rivers). Analysis of the variability of the series from the Narym Ob region in chronological and geographical bands showed their weak variability in space and time. Therefore, prior to the Russian colonization of Siberia, this region of the Middle Ob area was not invaded by considerably large groups of people of different anthropological appearance. All studied craniological series were samples from the single unity. Although the territorial variability of the anthropological features within the groups of the Narym Selkups is not large, in some cases an influence of territorially closest neighbours on the anthropological structures of particular Selkup populations can be discerned. It appeared that the southern groups exhibit resemblance with their territorially closest Turkic populations of the Chulym and Lower Tom regions, while in the composition of other Narym groups, there have been identified an admixture of the component genetically related to the Turkic populations of the Western-Siberian forest-steppe – Barabino and Tobol-Irtysh Tatars, and, although being very weak, an influence of the Ob Ugric populations can be discerned.

Introduction. The paper presents results of the funeral rite and material culture study of the Sauromat time Tau cemetery located on the territory of Western Kazakhstan, and also provides anthropological analysis of the skull discovered there. Methods and materials. An interdisciplinary approach was applied in the course of the study with inclusion of typological, analog and cross-dating methods regarding the funeral rite and material culture examination, methods for studying craniometrical and cranioscopic signs, as well as methods of skull pathology evaluation. The source of the study material as well as the male skull discovery site is burial 1 of kurgan 1 of Tau cemetery. Discussion and results. The funeral rite and clothing inventory data confirms that the burial belongs to Sauromat archaeological culture and, within the chronological framework, could be dated back late 6th – early 5th centuries BC. Furthermore, the funeral rite and weaponry features, including a quiver set with a short sword, attribute this burial to this epoch. Historical and archaeological source analysis suggests that there must have been a cult of the Hand in the Sauromat-Sarmatian society; consequently, the separate interment of the right hand in the examined burial reveals its military trophy origin. The male skull possesses Caucasian features with a weakened horizontal facial profile. The morphological features of the skull from the Tau cemetery have analogies in the synchronous population of Western Kazakhstan, Southern Urals and Lower Volga regions. The skull pathology analysis showed the presence of periodontitis, intravital trauma to the frontal bone, as well as some acute sinusitis signs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) may be used for clinically reliable alveolar bone quality assessment in comparison to its clinical alternatives, multislice computed tomography and the gold standard (micro-CT). Materials and methods: Six dentate mandibular bone samples were scanned with seven CBCT devices (ProMax 3D Max, NewTom GiANO, Cranex 3D, 3D Accuitomo 170, Carestream 9300, Scanora 3D, I-CAT Next generation), one micro-CT scanner (SkyScan 1174) and one MSCT machine (Somatom Definition Flash) using two protocols (standard and high-resolution). MSCT and CBCT images were automatically spatially aligned on the micro-CT scan of the corresponding sample. A volume of interest was manually delineated on the micro-CT image and overlaid on the other scanning devices. Alveolar bone structures were automatically extracted using the adaptive thresholding algorithm. Based on the resulting binary images, an automatic 3D morphometric quantification was performed in a CT-Analyser (Bruker, Kontich, Belgium). The reliability and measurement errors were calculated for each modality compared to the gold standard micro-CT. Results: Both MSCT and CBCT were associated with a clinically and statistically (P <0.05) significant measurement error. Bone quantity-related morphometric indices (bone volume fraction 8.41% min to 17.90% max, bone surface density -0.47 mm-1 min to 0.16 mm-1 max and trabecular thickness 0.15 mm min to 0.31 mm max) were significantly (P <0.05) overestimated, resulting in significantly (P <0.05) closer trabecular pores (total porosity percentage -8.41% min to -17.90% max and fractal dimension 0.08 min to 0.17 max) in all scanners compared to micro-CT. However, the structural pattern of the alveolar bone remained similar compared to that of the micro-CT for the Pro Max 3D Max, NewTom GiANO, Cranex 3D, 3D Accuitomo 170 and Carestream 9300. On the other hand, the Scanora 3D, i-CAT Next Generation, standard and high-resolution MSCT displayed an overrated bone quantity and aberrant structural pattern compared to other scanning devices. The calculation of morphometric indices had an overall high reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.62 min to 0.99 max), except for the i-CAT Next Generation CBCT (ICC 0.26 min to 0.86 max) and standard resolution MSCT (ICC 0.10 min to 0.62 max). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that most CBCT machines may be able to quantitatively assess alveolar bone quality, with a level of accuracy and reliability that approaches micro-CT. One may therefore propose to extrapolate this to clinical CBCT imaging, certainly when there is a need for implant rehabilitation in dentate jaw bones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article is dedicated to a study of craniological materials from Izhevsk burial ground. The researchers had at their disposal a series of 19 male and 26 female skulls. The male skulls are generally characterized as dolicho-mezokranial with a low arch height and moderate development of muscle relief in the neck and forehead. The facial skeleton is medium-wide, medium-high, and medium in terms of proportion. In the general vertical projection, the face is mesognathic, and in the alveolar projection - prognathic. Overall, the male skulls from Izhevsk burial ground belong to caucasoid forms, but with non-moderate features, which may indicate the presence of a mongoloid component. The female skulls, with due account of sexual dimorphism, were not much different from the male skulls, with the exception of a smaller protruding angle of the nose, which can indicate a more pronounced mongoloid component. The craniological series of the Izhevsk burial ground, regardless of gender, is summarized as Caucasoid, but with the inclusion of a certain portion of Mongoloid impurity, which is most pronounced in its female portion. The series from Izhevsk burial ground, according to its morphological features - an elongated skull, narrow and medium-high face combined with moderate horizontal profiling and medium protrusion of the nasal bones is included in the Volga-Ural series of the turn of the epochs, which anthropologically represent the population of the Pyany Bor, Mazunino, Kara-abyz, Azelino, Gladenovo and Bakhmutino cultures. Probably, the formation of the physical appearance of this population took place on a common morphological basis (Caucasoid as a whole), which, however, does not exclude the genetic influence of individual "southern" Caucasoid and more Mongoloid "eastern" groups. A paleo-pathological analysis of the remains of the finds from Izhevsk burial ground has allowed to trace and characterize trauma on 4 skulls (9.5%) and 8 skeletons (11%). The osteomalacia and occurrence rate of physiological stress markers (in half of the cases) indicate severe living conditions of the population buried at Izhevsk burial ground.

Twenty-seven skulls of four subspecies of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx Linnaeus, 1758): European (L. l. lynx L., 1758) (n = 2), Baikal (L. l. kozlovi Fetisov, 1950) (n = 2), Altai (L. l. wardi Lydekker, 1904) (n = 5) and Turkestan (L. l. isabellina Blyth, 1847) (n = 16) lynxes from nine different populations were studied. As a result of age analysis, among the skulls obtained, three were classified as juveniles, eight as subadult (up to 2-3 years), and 16 as adults. Ten variables were examined in the statistical data processing to compare the two sexes. The skulls of juveniles were not considered for statistical treatment due to their underdevelopment. We used Student t-test for comparing the means of variables; the data analyzed were statistically significant at < 0.05. The overall dimensions of the skulls varied, and the males were comparatively larger than the females. The total length of the skull of males and females averaged 153.8 mm and 145.6 mm, respectively, while the zygomatic width of the skull in males averaged 108.6 mm and in females 102.8 mm. Similar differences in size were noted for the other 8 variables. A significant variation in the lynxes' skulls size from different populations was noteworthy, which is presumably related to their body sizes. Thus, the skulls of the European and Altai lynx were larger than the skulls of the Turkestan to some degree. In the near future, we will need to look at more skulls from other populations and use more skull variables to study differences between populations and subspecies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the emergence of the Russian medieval town of Plyos is attributed to the second half of the 12th c., when a fortress was built on the Sobornaya Mountain (upper part), and a settlement emerged in the lower area on the left bank of the River Shokhonka, right-bank tributary of the Volga River. Craftsmen and fishermen quarters, which presumably had appeared long before the fortress, located on the other side of Shokhonka. Plyos was first mentioned in written sources in 1141. During the archaeological excavations in the Varvarinskaya street (Varvara necropolis) on the territory of modern Plyos town (Ivanovo Region), managed by the «Ivanovo Archaeological Expedition» company, human skeletal remains dated to the 10th–13th c. were found. This palaeoanthropological material characterizes the population which inhabited the Upper Volga region (Verkhnee Povolzhye) in the Middle Ages. The aim of this study was to analyse the formation of the anthropological features of the medieval town population and assess its physical appearance. Material and methods: 17 skulls (11 male and 6 female) were examined according to standard craniological protocol, 19 uncomplete postcranial skeletons were measured following the standard osteometric protocol with some authors modifications: we present detailed data on the postcranial skeletons and the analysis of limb proportions and robustness of the long bones. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used for intergroup comparison with craniological series from ten different Russian and Belorussian towns (11th–16th c.). Major results and conclusions. Presented paleoanthropological study has revealed a number of characteristics for the male skulls, associated with elongated cranium, average-high face and sharp horizontal facial profile. The female skulls exhibit mesocrania and smoother naso-molar area profile. Morphological analysis of the postcranial skeletons has demonstrated relatively elongated forearms and shortened shins in individuals from this burial ground. Reconstructed living stature of the males appears to be above average, and for women, on the contrary, below average. The problem of the common and specific patterns in the formation of the anthropological traits of the medieval town population cannot be addressed with the available anthropological material. However, PCA of the studied craniological sample indicates that the males are morphologically related to the medieval individuals from Yaroslavl (Russia) and partly to those from Novogrudok (Belarus). Thus, medieval men buried on the territory of Plyos were undoubtedly related to (presumable) retainers buried in the sanitary graves in Yaroslavl.

This paper is dedicated to discussion of craniological materials obtained from Berezovsky 5 burial mound in the southern Trans-Urals during archaeological excavations in 1994. The mound necropolis dates back to the Late Bronze Age (14th to 13th сс. BC) and relates to the Kozhumberdy stage in the Alakul development line of the Andronovo cultural community. Three researched skulls, two of them male and one female, originate from mound 6 of this burial site. The dental system of a young woman has undergone severe wear as a result of work activity. The craniological research of the female skull using Heincke formula made it possible to tentatively judge about its morphological affinity to skulls from the Laimberdy burial site and a combined skull set of the Akakul culture from the Trans-Urals. Basing on the female skull we have performed a graphic reconstruction of her appearance full face. The female skull shows some Mongoloid traits. Two male skulls failed to preserve their facial skeletons, except for braincases. The indicators of facial skeleton flattening at the orbital level can also testify to the presence of the Mongoloid component in their craniological type.

Article is devoted to studying of bone remains from antique burial grounds from the territory of the Armenian Highland. Anthropological materials of burials consist of 322 skeletons and dated I–III c. AD. The article analyzes the differences in anthropological characteristics of urban and rural population of Armenia of Antiquity period. The work is based on classical craniometric and statistical research methods. Artificial cranial deformationare and unintended deformation of a cradle-type found among urban and rural populations. As an intragroup analysis showed, the main differences between male urban and rural population across the size of the width of the frontal bone and face. If the villagers face orthognatic, angle of horizontal profiling at the top level enters the category of averages, in urban women face mezognatik, the angle of horizontal profiling is characterized by small values. Intergroup analysis showed, closest to urban male groups it turned out the tribes of Chernyakhov culture and the population of the Middle East. A male part of the villagers shows intimacy with Scythians of Crimea, Ukraine and Transnistria. The female part of the towns’ people is close with the Scythians of Ukraine and Crim; villagers are morphologically similar to the carriers of the Middle Sarmatian cultures of the Don region, with a population of the first centuries AD from Tanais, European and Asian Bosporus. Morphological analogies with the population of Northern Turkmenistan (Tumek-Kichidzhik), Western Ukraine (Chernyakhov culture), Middle Dnieper and Moldova (Scythians) were also revealed. This circumstance confirms the fact of sustainable, constant migration flow to the territory of the Armenian Highlands.

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Introduction: With the increasing possibilities of surgical treatment addressing the complex spectrum of defects in Crouzon syndrome (CS), it is of utmost importance to obtain accurate assessment of the malformation. Evaluating the volume of the posterior fossa is of great importance since many authors, considering that its volume is always decreased, favor posterior fossa enlargement as a first step in the treatment of CS. Material and methods: We studied CT scans of children with CS, which were vestibular-oriented (VO) in order to conform with physiological landmarks, and we measured intracranial volume by manual segmentation; these abnormal CT scans were superposed with VO 3D-CT scanners of age-matched controls. We studied the volume index of the posterior fossa for each CS patient defined as the ratio of its volume in CS patients with the normal for age calculated from normal controls. Results: We studied the imaging of 41 children with CS and 70 control. Among CS patients, the volume of the posterior fossa was increased in 10, compared with control. We found closure of the sphenoidal synchondrosis was correlated with age and with the width of the posterior fossa, but not with its length nor with the posterior fossa volume index. Conclusion: Segmentation on VO-CT scanner and superposition with CT scanners of normal controls is a powerful tool for the study of the impact of CS or other synostoses on volume and shape. We found that CS is more heterogeneous than previously thought, and surgical strategies should be adapted accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Here, we examine (1) if the sex‐related differences in iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) isotope ratios, represented as δ56Fe and δ65Cu values, respectively observed in humans exist in bulk occipital bone and incisors of male and female non‐human primates, and (2) if the variation of Fe and Cu isotope ratios, known to vary in human blood as a factor of age are similar in non‐human primate bone. Materials and Methods: Isotope ratios were measured from the skeletal elements of 20 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) with known life history traits. The metals were purified by column chromatography and their isotope ratios measured by MC‐ICP‐MS. Data were analyzed using generalized additive models (GAM). Results: When accounting for age and sex independently, we found a significant relationship between δ65Cu values and occipital bone, but not in incisors. There were no significant relationships observed between δ56Fe values, occipital bone, or incisors. Similarly, there were no significant relationships observed between δ56Fe values, δ65Cu values, and age. Discussion We suggest that Cu and Fe isotope ratios have the potential to be useful supplementary tools in future research in biological anthropology, but additional studies are needed to further verify the relationship between sex, age, δ65Cu, and δ56Fe values in primates. Boxplots depicting the variation of δ65Cu values between male and female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). On the y‐axis are the δ65Cu values in per mil units (‰). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examine the origins of the Upper Taz Selkups based on craniology and dental anthropology. They are one of the least studied groups of the indigenous population of Western Siberia. Judging by historical and ethnolinguistic data, the Northern Selkups moved to the Upper Taz region in the 17th – 18th century. Anthropological materials of the Northern Selkups were first obtained only in 2013 and 2016 during the excavations of Kikki-Akki burial ground. Recorded according to archaeological data, the burial rite has direct analogies in Southern Selkups burial grounds of the 17th – 18th centuries, with the exception of the selected individual features of the Eastern Khanty traditions. The craniological sample from Kikki-Akki burial includes 21 skulls – 13 males and 8 females. The dental sample includes the teeth of 22 individuals – 10 male, 6 female and 6 children. During the study the authors examined the anthropological materials based on the method of description of dental and cranial morphology, performed statistical integration. Characteristics of the series were compared with the obtained data of West Siberian near-recent samples. The analysis of the data shows that the Vakh Khanty represent the closest analogy to the series from Kikki-Akki, but the female part of the craniological sampling has a strong resemblance to the groups of the Southern Selkups. The results confirm the available historical and ethnolinguistic data on their formation due to the resettlement of a part of the Southern Selkup group from the Ob River Basin to the north, i.e. to the upper reaches of the Taz River. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the Selkup appearance changed quite a lot in a short period of time (200–300 years) that passed since their migration. The Northern Selkups acquired a significant resemblance to the Vakh Khanty – the only population with which the Selkups could maintain marital relations during their resettlement from the Middle Ob River to the Taz River.

This article presents results of a comprehensive study of paleoanthropological materials from the Buchta Nakhodka 2 burial on the Yamal peninsula (Yamalsky district, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, Tyumen region, Russia). Morphological features of the skulls indicate their belonging to the Eastern-Mongoloid anthropological formation. However, in terms of the nasal bridge structure, they also belong to the Western Caucasoid population. The results of a study using the methods of multivariate statistics show that, despite a high individual variability characteristic of the modern species of Homo sapiens, the range of variability observed in the materials from the Buchta Nakhodka and Yumadoto burial grounds is within the scope of the intergroup variability typical of the North Samoyedic peoples. On this basis, a more representative sample of this ethnic group has been formed, which is taxonomically included in the Yamalo-Enisey group of populations of the West-Siberian anthropological formation. An interesting feature of the studied materials consists in the archaic structure of the lower premolars and the vestibular protuberance of the medial incisors, which are markers of an archaic character. Appearance of the population having lived in Yamal at that time is clearly shown via the facial reconstruction based on crania.

Introduction. This work is a review of scientific publications on studying paleoanthropological materials of the Bronze Age originating from burial mounds of the Lower Volga region. Materials and Analysis. The paper begins with the analysis of articles and monographic studies of domestic authors, whose works were written in the period from the 30s to the late 80s of the 20th century. The so-called Soviet period in Russian anthropology is characterized by the dominance of the individual-typological approach in describing skeletal series of representatives of the Bronze Age cultures. The osteological collections from burial complexes of the Bronze Age of the Lower Volga region accumulated at this stage of the study were distinguished by a small number and low representativeness. The main conclusions were based on studying craniological samples. A great contribution to developing ideas on the racial and ethnic history of the Lower Volga region during this period was made by researchers G.F. Debets, V.V. Gizburg, V.I. Vuich, B.V. Firshtein, A.V. Shevchenko. The second part of the article is devoted to analyzing the results of anthropological research in the region in the works of modern Russian scientists.A distinctive feature of these works is that they are based on studying large-scale craniological series of broad temporal and territorial coverage. The studies of such scientists as A.A. Khokhlov, E.F. Batieva, A.A. Kazarnitsky, M.A. Balabanova use the complex approach in which classical methods of physical anthropology (craniology, osteology) are combined with the methods of statistical analysis and using data from Archaeology, Paleodemography, and Paleoecology. Results. The work shows the importance of using anthropological data as an independent source in paleohistorical constructions, as well as in the process of the archaeological study of various cultures of the Bronze Age that existed in the Lower Volga region.

The authors examine the anthropological materials of the Sintashta and related cultures of the finale of the middle – the beginning of the late Bronze Age. Theoretical aspects of the problem of morphogenesis in these populations are presented in connection with archeological and genetic studies. The practical part is devoted to the analysis of new craniological sources from the burials of the Sintashta-Abashevo chronological horizon of the forest-steppe Urals. The materials of the collective burial near the village of Malojuldashevo and the burial ground Krasikovo I of the Orenburg region have being published for the first time. The authors determine the place of these populations among the synchronous forms of the Urals and the Volga region. Anthropological heterogeneity of the population has been shown and the prospect of joint archeological-anthropological and genetic studies for the reconstruction of processes of culturogenesis and morphogenesis is considered.

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This article examines the relation between commercial activity and knowledge-making, looking at hatmakers in order to open up a more general question about the overlap between the knowledge practices of 19th-century science and those of everyday commercial culture of the time. Phrenology also claims attention here, since it can be said to have occupied an intermediate position between science and commerce. From time to time during the first half of the century, phrenologists attended to hatmakers in the hope of gleaning knowledge from their commercial experience, but after about 1860, scientific craniometers took a very different view. Physical anthropologists like Paul Broca believed that the skull was the key source of data on which to build a scientific anthropology of race or ethnicity. Observers drew the attention of Broca and his colleagues to the existence of a commercial device called the conformateur des chapeliers, used by hatters to determine head shape. But Broca was far less inclined to welcome hatmakers into the domain of craniology than the phrenologists had been. Whereas phrenologists had found validation in common sense, any widely available understanding of racial types was considered by Broca to be a distraction from the work of science and a potential distortion of its data. Far from the welcoming curiosity shown by London-based phrenologists, the anthropological enterprise led by Broca defined itself as scientific in part by the strictness with which it considered and dismissed such approximate and informal ways of knowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article discusses my practice as an artist and researcher examining the situation and significance of graves. First, in a site-specific installation at West Norwood Cemetery in South London, talking with visitors about whether it matters where human remains are deposited; secondly, in exhibitions at the Crypt Gallery St. Pancras and Lumen Crypt Gallery in Bethnal Green, presenting evidence of the historical circumstances in which human remains were appropriated from graves in the colonies, for the purposes of research into racial ‘science’ in museums during the late nineteenth century.

This thesis demonstrates results of a comparison of new published craniological data of the East Manych catacomb culture population (Middle Bronze Age, North-Western Caspian region), of the funeral rites and the artifacts assortments in the burials of this culture and the types of decoration of incense burners - the special ceramic vessel. At least the more frequent appearance of incense burners in burials of individuals with an artificial deformation of the head (both men and women) is detected. Any other combinations of craniological and archaeological features are doubtful. The comparison of incense burnerss decoration and attributes funeral rite demonstrates the correlation of point type of dcor and more frequent use of bronze knives and piercers.

The paper features the results of an intragroup and intergroup analysis of all presently available craniological materials on nomads from the Altai Mountains of the Hun-Sarmatian period (Bulan-Koby archaeological culture, 2nd century B.C. – 5th century A.D.). A craniometric analysis of 75 male and 38 female skulls indicates a general Europeoid character of the physical appearance of the Bulan-Koby community at all stages of its development. Its composition is mainly represented by the Caucasian morphological component with traces of Mongoloid elements: meso-brachicranial with a wide moderately profiled face of an average height in combination with an average nose protrusion angle. A comparative intergroup analysis involving male craniological series from the territory of Southern Siberia and Central Asia of the Early Iron Age revealed two primary vectors of probable genetic relations of the nomads from the Altai Mountains of the Hun-Sarmatian period. The first vector is associated with the preceding local (Pazyryk) population. The second vector featuring a wide range of nomadic groups from the Eurasian steppes at the turn of the centuries is mainly represented by carriers of the Caucasian meso-brachicranial morphotype with various degrees of Mongoloid traces.

In this paper, we present a study of craniological materials collected in the Psebeps 3, Kabardinka and Tserkovnaya shchel’ medieval grave fields (Krasnodar Krai, Russia). The Psebeps 3 grave field (10 male and 5 female skulls), belonging to the Adyghe people (Circassians), dates to the 14th–15th centuries. The Kabardinka grave field (11 male and 4 female skulls), also correlating with the Adyghes, dates to the 14th–15th centuries. The Tserkovnaya shchel’ grave field (3 male and 3 female skulls), dating to the 17th–18th centuries, was a burial site of the Adyghe tribes. All the skulls are characterized by the Caucasoid craniological complex and a significant typological diversity within this complex. On the basis of intragroup analysis, a graph was drawn that places the skulls from the Psebeps 3 and Kabardinka grave fields on its right and left sides, respectively. This discrepancy is likely to result from a difference in these series, although they both represent culturally related population groups. Following the results of the intergroup analysis of the male series, the graph depicts two clusters. The first cluster features the Pyatigorsk, Natukhai, Kazazovo 1, Moshchevaya Balka, Gamovskoe Ushchelie, Psebeps 3 and Tserkovnaya shchel’ groups. The second cluster includes the Black Sea, Shapsugs, Kazazovo 2 and Kabardinka groups. The Circassian group is located on the graph separately from the aforementioned groups. The graph representing the results of the intergroup analysis of the female series shows the Psebeps 3, Kazazovo 2, Tserkovnaya shchel’ and Natukhai groups to be located on the left, the Pyatigorsk, Shapsugs, Kabardian, Black Sea and Moshchevaya Balka groups to be in the centre, while the Circassian group is located separately. In the distribution of the series, the separate position of the Circassian group stands out; this is likely to be a result of Mongoloid admixture in the territory of the Adyghe settlements recorded in the territory of Circassia. The cluster bringing together the series from the Black Sea, Kazazovo 2, Kabardinka and Shapsug groups can also be quite logically explained by the fact that all these populations belong to the Adyghes. In the third cluster, the new materials are in good agreement with the facts demonstrating the transformation of the anthropological variation typical of the skulls from Moshchevaya Balka and Kazazovo 1 towards that typical of the skulls from the Pyatigorsk group. It is interesting that the Psebeps 3 series originating from the territory of traditional Natukhai settlements demonstrate a convergence with the third cluster containing the Natukhai series.

This paper presents the results of human remains study from the necropolis on Tekstilschiki street (Kostroma city, Russia), dated back to XVI–XVIII centuries. The authors provide data on the craniology, postcranial skeleton, describe the pathologies on the teeth and bones. The study was conducted according to standard protocols of Russian anthropology. Studied sample comprises human remains of 77 individuals, including 41 belonged to women. This ratio can be explained by the fact that there was a nunnery necropolis on this territory in the late Middle Ages. Presented study revealed a number of features of the male part of the sample, associated with mesocrania and sharp horizontal facial profile. A comparative analysis of craniological data showed the proximity of the studied population to the medieval population of the Old Ryazan city (Russia). The female part of the sample differs from the male one in its tendency to brachicrania. A morphological analysis of the postcranial skeleton revealed the relative shortening of the shin and forearm of women. The reconstructed height for men turned out to be above average, for women, on the contrary, it is below average. Most often pathologies of the studied population are dentition pathologies and bruises of the bones of the limbs, which most likely had a civilian character.

This article characterizes extensive craniological and osteological materials from Miankal, the site located in the Samarkand region, the central part of the Big Sogd. A review of anthropological and archaeological data on the population having resided in the aforementioned province is given for a lengthy historical period from antiquity, through the Late Middle Ages and up to the present time. The majority of the collections are presented for the first time in their full size. The article reviews the epochal dynamics of main craniological characteristics and indicators. A comparative analysis of the Miankal series with all other Big Sogd series is performed in terms of important morphological and paleodemographic indicators. The main morphological complexes having existed in ancient, Middle Age and close to the present time populations are described. A certain morphological peculiarity of the Miankal groups is shown. These groups are described in terms of intergroup differences and in comparison with the other Sogd population. The relationship vectors of the Miankal populations with those of the Central (Samarkand), Western (Bukhara) and Southern (Kaskadarya) Sogd are demonstrated for different historical periods. A suggestion is made that Miankal, being part of the Central Sogd, was also populated by groups from the Western and Southern Sogd, as well as from other historical and cultural geographical regions, such as the Central Kyzylkum, the Sarikamish region, the lower Syrdarya. In addition, according to archaeologists, this region might have been populated by immigrants from Kangju.