Introduction. This paper presents the results of a study of the skeletal remains of a child from Burial 6, Excavation 1, Pit 10 of the «Orlinoye Gnezdo» (Eagle's Nest) settlement. The archaeological complex finds parallels with materials from the Samosdelka settlement, specifically layers dating back to the 12th-13th centuries, allowing the site to be attributed to the vicinity of the city of Saksin. As a result of archaeological work at the site, the skeletal remains of 11 individuals were discovered.

Materials and methods. The study was based on the skeletal remains of a 1,5-4 - year-old child from Burial 6, Excavation 1, Pit 10, which can only conditionally be dated back to the first half of the 14th century.

The anthropological material was analyzed using a standard protocol for assessing pathological conditions (Buzhilova, 1995, 1998). The description of the defects on the child's skull bones employed the terminology and recommendations for the study of skeletal remains proposed by specialists in forensic medical examination (Vlasyuk, 2012; Odinochkina, 2016). The child’s age was determined based on dental development and the length of diaphyses of the postcranial long bones (Ubelaker, 1978; Cardoso et al., 2014; Kufterin, 2024). Radiographic examination of the skeletal remains was conducted using the KRD-50/7 Helpic-Renex diagnostic X-ray system.

Results and discussion. The archaeological context suggests that Pit 10, located in squares 26, 27, 34, and 35 at the level of Situation 2 in Excavation 1 within the boundaries of Pit 10, was a refuse pit into which the child’s body was discarded.

Anthropological examination of the child’s skeletal remains revealed several pathological conditions: signs of porosity on the alveolar margins of the upper and lower jaws, the hard palate, and the lateral surfaces of the tibial diaphyses. The orbital roofs exhibit traces of cribra orbitalia. Light-colored dental calculus deposits were observed on the deciduous teeth. The defects located on the right and left supraorbital margins of the frontal bone and on the right greater wing of the sphenoid bone from the endocranial side are of particular interest.

Conclusion. The incisions identified on the child's frontal bone and on the right greater wing of the sphenoid bone occurred after the individual’s death. The defects discovered on the cranial vault bones are most likely the result of destructive bites from small rodents.

Funding. The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 24-28-00772 «Anthropological Study of Polyethnic Medieval Societies in the Lower Volga Region».

Introduction. Cremated skeletal remains are characterized by a high degree of fragmentation, which occurs both due to physical processes in the bone tissue and due to the actions of people who cremate the corpse. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between the type of bone tissue, the degree of bone fragmentation, and the degree of burning of the organic component during cremation on a pyre.

Materials and methods. The materials (178 observations of the contents of fire pits) were obtained during the Russian-Indian anthropological expedition of the Paleoethnological Research Center and the State Biology Museum in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Observations were conducted in the city of Agra on the territory of the Tajganj cremation center. The duration of complete incineration of soft tissues was recorded, as well as the body size and the somatotype, using three-point assessment scales. In addition, the composition and condition of the cremated skeletal elements were described. Statistical tests for assessing the significance of differences were used to compare samples of spongy and compact bone tissue.

Results and discussion. The spongy bone of the vertebrae, sacrum and pelvis demonstrates a greater degree of destruction than the spongy bone of the femoral and tibial epiphyses. This is probably due to consequence of microstructural differences in the structure of spongy bones. The ochre color is more often observed in the spongy bone, and gray color – in the compact, which is explained by a larger proportion (and, accordingly, a lower degree of burnout) of organic matter in the spongy bone compared to the compact. A significant frequency of black color was recorded on the compact tissue of the long bone diaphyses, which is associated with the combustion of bone marrow under conditions of oxygen deficiency.

Conclusion. The duration and intensity of the flames of funeral pyres may not be sufficient to completely burn out the organic component of the bone. Significant fragmentation of skeletal remains can be achieved without intensive mechanical action. The degree of fragmentation of skeletal elements is not affected by the type of funeral pyre, the size and somatotype of the body, or the sex or age of the deceased.

Introduction. The purpose of the work: to publish new information from the biography of sculptor and artist Ivan Illarionovich Sevryugin and genealogical data about his family; as well as for the first time to present new information about masks, busts and dummies made by I.I. Sevryugin for the First Anthropological Exhibition and stored in the Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Materials and methods. The article is based on the archival documents of the Central State Archive of the city of Moscow (metric books, confessional sheets, audit tales, population census materials); materials from the scientific archive of the Moscow State University Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology (the Museum's Book of Acquisitions, collection inventories), as well as periodicals of the XIX century and other open sources. Historiographical, chronological and analytical research methods were used in the work.

Results and discussion. Based on the studied archival materials, it was possible to clarify the following information from the biography of I.I. Sevryugin. Ivan Illarionovich Sevryugin was born on August 2, 1838 in the family of Moscow workshop worker Illarion Illarionovich Sevryugin and his wife Anna Gerasimovna. Seven children were born in the family, but according to the data we found, three of them died in childhood. Ivan Illarionovich was married to the daughter of the priest of the village of Antonchikova, Kashirsky district, Tula region, Savva Leontievich Troitsky, Anna Savvishna Troitskaya, born in 1845. They had four children: Gregory, Alexander, Philip and Ivan. Alexander and Philip died as children. I.I. Sevryugina was buried at the Lazarevskoye cemetery.

A brief description is given of the sculptural works of I.I. Sevryugin preserved in the collection of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University: masks, busts and dummies, which were created for the Anthropological Exhibition in Moscow (1879) and were exhibited in the Exhibition halls to show the general public the ethnic diversity of the world's population.

Conclusion. Biographical information about Ivan Illarionovich Sevryugin himself, as well as about his close relatives (surnames, first names, dates of life), was supplemented; the burial place of members of the Sevryugin family was established. Masks, busts and dummies created by I.I. Sevryugin, which are kept in the sculptural fund of the photo-illustrative department of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University, are material evidence of the history of the development of anthropology in the country. According to the members of the Committee of the Anthropological Exhibition, I.I. Sevryugin was able to express scientific ideas in an artistic form about the ethnic diversity of the population of Russia and other countries.

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Introduction. Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a computational approach used to explore complex social and cultural processes by simulating the behaviors of individual agents–people or groups–within a defined environment. By incorporating individual variation, agent interactions, and responses to environmental conditions, ABM is particularly valuable for reconstructing past patterns of migration, settlement, and the evolution of social institutions. Although widely adopted in international archaeology and anthropology, ABM remains underutilized in Russian research contexts.

Materials and methods. This review is based on academic publications available in open sources and identified through specialized search platforms such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Semantic Scholar. From over 70 initial records, 25 studies were selected that met the criteria of model reproducibility and interdisciplinary integration of archaeological, genetic, and climatic data.

Results. ABM has been applied to a wide range of prehistoric scenarios, including the Out-of-Africa dispersal of Homo sapiens, the Neolithic expansion, Eurasian population movements, interactions between migrants and indigenous groups, and the cultural evolution of language and institutions. These models highlight the roles of climate, population density, and social norms in shaping human behavior and long-term dynamics.

Discussion. Despite its strengths, ABM faces several challenges, including sensitivity to parameter choices, limited reproducibility, and simplified representations of culture. Advancing the method requires better integration of biological, social, and cultural dimensions, along with open access to model code and data for transparency and replication.

Conclusion. ABM represents an emerging research paradigm that links micro-level agent behavior with macro-level processes of social, demographic, and cultural evolution. It offers a powerful interdisciplinary framework for exploring human prehistory and alternative trajectories of societal development.

Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University.