Introduction. Due to the wide variety of ethnogeographic features and ecological niches, environmental differences as well as changes in living conditions, the study of the morphological status of indigenous populations of Russia retains its significance. Our aim was to study the somatic status and BIA body composition of young women of Altai and Russian ethnicities aged 17-23 years living in urban and rural areas of the Altai Republic.
Materials and methods. In 2021–2023, 230 young women aged 17 to 23 years (117 Altai-Kizhi and 113 Russians) living in urban and rural areas were examined. The examination program included anthropometry, the Heath-Carter somatotyping, and BIA. Ethnic differences and city-village differences were assessed using parametric and non-parametric methods.
Results. Ethnically Russian women were, in general, somewhat larger than Altai women, significant differences were found for height (Ht), weight (Wt), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Significant differences were also observed for the resistance R50, phase angle and fat-free mass (FFM) values. The somatotype distributions by enlarged classes were close with a predominance of mesomorphic and endomorphic types. When testing for city-village differences in ethnic subgroups, the total body dimensions (Wt, Ht, chest circumference), as well as WC, hip circumference (HC) and body mass index were slightly higher in urban residents (not significant differences). The urban Altai women had a statistically significantly higher endomorphy rating with a noticeable increase in fat mass (FM), %FM and fat mass index. Ethnic differences were more pronounced in rural (Ht, Wt, HC, WHR, R50, phase angle, FFM and fat-free mass index were significantly different) than in urban residents (significant differences only for Ht and FFM).
Introduction. Etruscan-Italian fine art experienced a noticeable artistic influence from Greece. Iconographic types of the head and face were transmitted both through the import of finished Greek products and through the circulation of matrices and the artists themselves, which complicates the chronology and typology of monuments. P.J. Riis proposes to systematize the "evolution" of Etruscan terracotta styles by constructing a chronological series from the early archaic to the late classic [Riis, 1981]. The purpose of the work was to study the concept of P.J. Riis about iconography in Etruscan coroplastics and the creation of generalized morphological characteristics of local types (regional styles).
Materials and methods. Illustrated chronological tables from P.J. Riis and the method of composite portrait in digital version were used.
Results and discussion. P.J. Riis examined 352 types of images, their archaeological context geographically confined to Northern Etruria (Clusium), Central (Vulci, Volsinia), Southern (Caere, Veii, Falerii, Latium) and Etruscan Campania (Capua). The earliest production of Etruscan terracotta was concentrated in Campania, Southern and Northern Etruria, the first hellenized style of terracotta spread from Etruscan Capania into Southern Etruria. The composite portraits based on the combined samples of archaic art indicate the absence of significant sex differences. In the composite female portrait for all samples of the archaic period, a contribution of morphological elements of the types of Southern and Central Etruria is visually noted. The greatest contribution to the morphology of the face in the composite female portrait for all samples of the classical period was made by Central Etruria and Capua. The resulting composite portraits by region indicate the heterogeneity of facial iconography in the archaic and classical art of Central Italy and visualize the conclusions of P.J. Riis on the development of several local traditions of fine art style.
Introduction. The aim of this study is to provide group-specific regression equations for age estimation of immature human skeletal remains younger than 12 years of age from the diaphyseal length of the six long bones. Further, to compare inverse and classical calibration models for age estimation and the suitability of previously published regression methods for archaeological and present-day populations in relation to the analyzed sample.
Materials and methods. The studied sample consists of 128 non-adult individuals from Gonur Depe – the major BMAC site in Turkmenistan (2300–1500 BCE). Regression formulae were obtained for each of the six long bones, separately for entire sample (0–12 years of age) and for two subsamples below and above 2 years of age. For each equation the coefficient of determination (R2) and F-statistics were calculated. Residuals were tested for normality of distribution, autocorrelation, homoscedasticity, and the equality of mean to zero (one-sample t-test). Comparison between inverse and classical calibration was provided using paired samples t-test. To assess the applicability of other regression formulae to the studied sample both the mean residuals (MR) and mean of the absolute value of the residuals (MAR) were calculated, as an estimate of bias and accuracy respectively.
Results. All regression models showed a strong statistical significance and high R2 value. The slope coefficients of the regression lines of diaphyseal length upon age are greater for the upper limb bones both in the entire sample and two subsamples separately. The lower limb bones are characterized by lower growth rates. In contrast to the inverse calibration, for the classical model the mean standard errors (MSE) were smaller for the upper limb bones rather than for the lower limb bones. For the lower limb bones the standard error of the estimate (SE) was generally smaller in inverse formulae. Comparison of both models for the femur however shows their equal performance. For the exception of proposed and classical calibration formulae all inverse models for femur diaphyseal length show consistent differences from zero in relation to the studied sample.
Introduction. In this article, we have compared frontal facial shapes (based on photo portraits) which were captured in two head positions: Natural position (NP) and Frankfurt horizontal (FH).
Materials and methods. In both cases facial shape was analyzed on sex differences and association with direct measurements of body parameters: height, BMI, fat, muscle and bone mass, digit ratio (R2D:4D). The analysis was performed using geometric morphometry methods. The study participants were representatives of the non-European population, Buryats, 86 men and 69 women aged 20 years (20± 2 g).
Results. The results showed that (a) head position had a significant impact on the 2D projection of the frontal facial shape, particularly in men; (b) compared to the Natural position, the Frankfurt horizontal position exhibited more pronounced sex differences in facial shape; (c) we observed associations between facial shape and height, BMI, fat, and muscle mass in both men and women in both positions, but these associations were more pronounced in the Frankfurt horizontal. We did not find an association between male facial shape and R2D:4D in the NP position, but we observed it in FH. In women, we did not observe a similar relationship in both positions.
Discussion. Our research revealed an important methodological problem: the head position can significantly affect qualitative conclusions about frontal facial shape, especially in non-European populations. In our study, we found a statistical relationship with most body parameters in both cases, FH and NP. However, the relationship was stronger in the FH position. When working with independent parameters that have a generally not very pronounced effect on the facial shape, head position differences can lead to a decrease or even a lack of an association when using a natural position (as in the case of R2D:4D).
Conclusion. The obtained results are important for the development of an optimal photography methodology, taking into account the currently accumulated controversial results. Current findings allow us to resolve a number of contradictions related to the zero results observed in modern literature data.
Introduction.The work is devoted to an extraordinary person - the sculptor and artist Ivan Illarionovich Sevryugin (1839-?), his contribution to the organization, holding and sculptural embodiment of the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879, which became the starting point in the development of anthropology as an exact and natural-historical science and the basis for the creation of the department and Museum of Anthropology.
Materials and methods. This study is based on the printed works of the second half of the 19th century, published by the Society of Amateurs of Natural History, Anthropology and Ethnography (OLEAE), in the research of which historical-typological and historical-descriptive methods were used. The main attention was paid to the analysis of materials and documents related to the preparation and holding of the First Anthropological Exhibition in Moscow in 1879. Archival documents from the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology and literary sources were also studied.
Results and discussion. The work examines the creative path of the sculptor and artist I.I. Sevryugin. Coming from a poor family of guild artisans, Ivan Illarionovich received an excellent education at the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. Studied under Professor N.A. Ramazanov. During his studies, he was repeatedly awarded for his work and upon graduation received the title of third-degree artist. Along with famous sculptors and artists, he took part in the production of collections of mannequins for the Ethnographic Exhibition of 1867. The most significant peak of his activity was the First Anthropological Exhibition of 1879. The development of the exhibition model, its sculptural embodiment, collection and preparation of exhibits (mounds, burial grounds, masks, busts, etc.), a trip to Paris and much more - all this shows him as an incredibly talented person who masters a variety of artistic and sculptural techniques, who was hard working and earned the highest praise from specialists.
Conclusion. Analysis of archival and literary sources showed that I.I. Sevryugin, being a talented artist and an excellent sculptor with a colossal capacity for work, took an active part in the preparation of the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879, and contributed to the solution of one of its main tasks - the popularization of anthropology in Russia. Thanks to his talent, he was able to express scientific ideas in artistic form. His works, exhibited in the gallery halls of the Exhibition, clearly showed the general public the unity of the biological and social in human nature. Collections created by I.I. Sevryugin, formed the basis of the sculptural fund of the photo-illustrative department of the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University. @ 2024. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license
Keywords:
anthropology; museology; history of Lomonosov MSU; Society of Amateurs of Natural History, Anthropology and Ethnography; All-Russian Anthropological exhibition; dummies; busts; death masks
Introduction. The cycle of publications on the historical and archaeological characteristics of osteological collections from the funds of the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University continues in the article. The purpose of this work is to create an information base for paleoanthropologists studying collections from the burial grounds of the Chernyakhovskaya archaeological culture dated III – beginning. V centuries AD.
Materials and methods. This section provides a general description of the collections from the burial grounds of the Chernyakhovskaya culture, stored in the museum's funds. The materials considered were unearthed during excavations by Soviet archaeologists of the 1950s-1960s (E.A. Simonovich, G.B. Fedorov) on the territory of modern Ukraine and Moldova. The work uses all available publications of the authors of the excavations, as well as subsequent summary and analytical studies.
Results. The main part of the work presents information on the burial grounds of the Chernyakhovkaya culture of Zhuravka, Chernyakhov, Malaeshty. The geographical characteristics of the sites, the history of their research, and basic information about the archaeological context for the presented anthropological materials from these necropolises are given. The most common, standard features of the funeral rite are shown and burials with unusual features that fall out of the general framework are indicated. A number of burials have been identified, which are marked in the accounting materials as belonging to the Chernyakhovskaya culture, but, in fact, are not related to it.
Introduction.
The centennial development of physical anthropology in China can be divided into three periods: 1) the initial period fr om the end of the 19th century to the founding of New China in 1949, when anthropology was imported from the West and gradually localized; 2) the unstable development period from 1949 to 1976, which was faced with a major restructuring of the discipline, the epoch of Sino-Soviet friendship, and a ten-year period of turbulence of the Cultural Revolution; 3) the period of rapid development after the reform and opening up of the country at the end of the 1970s.
Materials and methods.
The author presents the history of anthropological exchanges between China and Russia over the past hundred years through the study of literature and photographic sources.
Results.
Before the founding of New China, communications of anthropology between China and Russia was represented by S.M. Shirokogorov; after the founding of New China, it was represented by N.N. Cheboksarov; during the period of Sino-Soviet friendship, China adopted the suggestions of Soviet scientists and launched journals, translated and published monographs, and dispatched international students, Dong Tichen and Cui Chengyao, to study in the Soviet Union.
Conclusion.
In this article, for the first time, a large number of old photographs from private collections have been released to show the life story of Dong Tichen, the first anthropologist who went to the Soviet Union to study and returned to China. After graduating from Beijing Normal University, Dong Tichen went to Moscow University to study anthropology and obtained his Ph.D. in biology in 1961. He became a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Fudan University, wh ere he was one of the earliest teachers of anthropology in New China. His research was pioneering and prospective, for example, his proposed taxonomic position of the Gigantopithecus was very forward-looking; he created a precedent in the study of dermatoglyphics in China and contributed to the foundations of anthropometrics. His return solidified the discipline of anthropology at Fudan University, and during his short life he trained several students who would become the mainstay of anthropology in the new China in the future. Unfortunately, he died in 1966, as a result of social unrest and change.
Introduction. Of the numerous ceramic production centers of ancient Greece, the Attica region is notable for its continuous development of vase painting styles. Compared to the black-figure and red-figure painting techniques, the polychrome painting of Attic vases on a white-ground may indicate polymorphism in the pigmentation of the ancient Greeks.
Materials and methods. The material was collected in digitized museum collections and thematic literature. The color and nature of the characters' hair were studied from vase painting and funerary painting. Anthroposcopic method and simple statistics were used. The significance of differences between groups was assessed using the chi-square test.
Results and discussion. In all samples of Attic vase painting, the wavy nature of the hair is predominant, and this frequency does not change significantly over time. The highest frequency of straight nature of the hair (13.3%) is observed in white-ground vase painting. In comparison with the characters in vase paintings, modern Greeks have predominantly straight, lightly wavy hair, especially in women, and then wavy hair. For all style groups of Attic vase painting, no gender differences in nature of the hair were identified. The depiction of hair color on white-ground vase paintings of the early classical and classical times is significantly different: in the earlier vase painting, black and dark brown predominate, and in the later ones, brown/light brown and red-brown. The minimum frequency of dark shades of the hair is noted in Hellenistic funerary painting; it shows, like the white-ground vase painting of the classics, a lighter-pigmented population. The hair color of the modern Greek population is predominantly dark. Based on the hypothesis that the artist depicts familiar forms as traditional ones and reflects the anthropological characteristics of his group, the polymorphism of pigmentation and nature of the hair of the ancient and modern Greek populations is different.
Conclusion. Groups of art sources that differ in chronology and style do not represent the hair pigmentation of the population of ancient Greece in the same way. To further study polymorphism of pigmentation of the ancient population, it is necessary to correct the methodology to correlate the actual colors used in vase/mural painting with the hair color classes of the traditional color scale, as well as the use of additional comparative materials.
Introduction.Identifying kinship relationships fr om skeletal remains is among the various objectives of bioarchaeological studies. This article focuses on reviewing the methods used to analyze biological kinship in human fossil populations through non-metric traits.
Methods. Since direct molecular-genetic analysis of kinship is often highly challenging due to the poor preservation of ancient DNA, special attention in such studies is given to nonmetric phenotypic traits.
Results. Research with osteological samples that have been documented provides compelling evidence that the level of morphological similarity between individuals is directly related to their degree of biological kinship. In cases wh ere the pedigrees of osteological materials are fully or partially known, phenotypic data can be effectively used in lieu of genetic information.
Discussion. The methodology developed for kinship analysis depends on the internal spatial structure of the cemetery being studied. When analyzing small burial sites, the aim is to determine if the people buried there are close relatives. Various methods are used in these analyses, including different techniques for determining the likelihood of kinship, cluster analysis, and correlation coefficients. Identifying kinship is most promising in burial sites where archaeological or historical indicators of biological relationships are present. Kinship analysis in spatially structured cemeteries is aimed at identifying families or social groups. The analysis of uniformly distributed cemeteries focuses on identifying closely related individuals in large burials without clearly defined subgroups. This involves spatial correlation analysis, which tests for significant correlation between the matrix of spatial distances and the matrix of phenotypic distances; various counting methods to test for non-random clustering of traits; the nearest neighbor method; and a non-spatial block search procedure that simultaneously identifies presumed relatives and the traits that indicate the degree of their kinship.
Conclusion. Many problems in establishing kinship can be overcome with the availability of skeletal material accompanied by verified genealogical data. Unfortunately, skeletal remains with preserved documentation are quite rare, limiting the opportunities to study the inheritance of non-metric traits and the morphological similarity of biologically related individuals.
Introduction.The article is devoted to the problem of establishing the eastern border of the Saka culture of Alai. An important role in understanding of this problem is played by the Touyun burial ground, located in the southwestern part of Xinjiang, close to Kyrgyzstan.
Materials and methods. This burial ground has specific funeral rites, which demonstrate the characteristic features peculiar to the Saka culture of Alai. In particular, these are burials in stone boxes, crypt-like stone structures and at the level of the ancient surface, constructed under low stone-earth burial mounds. Burials in them were both single and multi-act. The buried people in these burials were in an elongated position with orientation of the sculls to the west and northwest direction. The funeral inventory from Touyun was relatively poor and represented by a couple of ceramic vessels, jewelry items (earring, bracelet, and beads), a belt garment (belt buckle), household items (sumac, awls) and clothing items (plaques).
Results and discussion. These funeral objects, based on analogies, allowed us to establish the time of existence of the Touyun burial ground, which fits into the chronological framework of the end of the 5th – 3rd centuries BC. It is evident, that this necropolis appears as a result of the migration of the Saka population from the eastern part of the Alai Valley. The occupying this territory group of Alai Saka was appeared in the contact zone with the population of the Saka culture of Tien Shan region, with which, apparently, they established marital ties. Currently, the Touyun burial ground is the easternmost site of the Saka culture of Alai, which makes it possible to expand the border of this culture by more than 130 km to the east than previously thought. It also made it possible to significantly clarify the real areas of the main archaeological cultures in the southwestern part of Xinjiang such as the Saka cultures of Alai, Pamir and Tien Shan region.
Introduction. Since its foundation in 1755, Moscow University has become a cultural, scientific and educational center, the social significance of which surpassed both educational and scientific. The University published a city newspaper, printed magazines, books and textbooks; its library, Museum of Natural History and Botanical Garden were open to the public, university holidays served to popularize science and education. The educational function has become traditional for the university.
Materials and methods. The sources of the work are the statutory documents of universities and secondary educational institutions, accounting documents of inspections, in the study of which historico-typological and historico-descriptive methods are used.
Results. The Charter of 1804 legislatively assigned the university the leadership of secondary and lower-level educational institutions in the Moscow Educational District, which included Moscow, Vladimir, Vologda, Kaluga, Kostroma, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula and Yaroslavl provinces. University professors regularly surveyed educational institutions, studied their financial situation, the qualifications of teachers, the level of training of students, and gave recommendations on how to improve the work of educational institutions. The problems of local schools were discussed in the University's Academical Committee, and ways to open new educational institutions were discussed. The reports were forwarded to the Ministry of Public Education. Since 1835, the management of secondary and lower schools has been transferred from universities to the trustees of educational districts. Since 1835, the management of secondary and lower schools has been transferred from universities to the trustees of educational districts.
Conclusion. The work of the University in the first half of the 19th century on the management of schools at various levels of the Moscow Educational District played a crucial role in the formation of the national public education system.
Introduction.The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of a sample of students from the Republic of Korea studying in Moscow. In the context of intensive international student exchanges, the problems of young people’s adaptation to life and study in another country are becoming a relevant subject of scientific research, including modern biological anthropology.
Material and methods. We applied traditional anthropometric methods, as well as questionnaire and self-esteem scale by T. Dembo, S. Rubinstein. Data collection was carried out in compliance with the rules of bioethics and with further depersonalization of the collected materials. Statistical methods included descriptive statistics, correlation and factor analyses.
Results and discussion. Based on anthropometry data, body mass index was calculated and graphs of its distribution meet the criteria of normality. In males, the body mass index is mainly within the normal range, while in the female sample there is a noticeable percentage of participants with low body weight according to the standards of the World Health Organization.
In male sample, body mass index shows a negative relationship with satisfaction with nutrition, physical well-being and sports activities, which is consistent with the results of our study of Russian students. Body mass index in females shows a positive relationship with self-esteem. The results made it possible to evaluate the associations between physical and psychological characteristics and some social factors.
Conclusion. The results of the study indicate a significant influence of social factors, and above all, self-socialization, on the physical and psychological state of young people, which must be taken into account in interactions with international students.
Introduction. The article analyzes materials dated to the 16th–17th
centuries came from Smolensk. This period turned out to be one of the most complex and eventful in the history of the region, that's why every new detail is significant for the study. For a long time, Smolensk functioned as a boundary city and also as an important trade hub between the Muscovite Tsardom and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth; so, the composition of its population may reflect the influence of the western neighbors.
Materials and methods. There were examined the craniological materials discovered during the excavations at the Pyatnitsky district of the city in 2012. The necropolis dates back to the turn of the 16th–17th
centuries, it is located on the high bank of the Dnieper near the fortress wall of the Smolensk Kremlin. The materials include 17 male and 19 female skulls. Classical and multidimensional biometric methods were used as statistical approaches.
Results. The comparison beetween the studied sample and the other sample of the 12th century city population known from the literature has showed their high similarity, although the later sample tends to be slenderer. Statistically significant differences were recorded only for certain parameters of the skull.
The comparison with the aggregated sample of the rural Smolensk region population dated to the 18th–19th centuries also revealed a significant difference for the cranial length and height and some parameters of the facial skeleton. Discriminant analysis showed a quite unique status of the studied sample, which differs from both synchronous urban groups and later samples of the rural population of the central region. There are also no processes of macrosomization observed for it.
Conclusion. The absence of significant differences for most characteristics between the studied sample and the urban population of the 12th century can indicate the continuity of the morphological type of the Smolensk urban population. On the other hand, the intermediate position of the studied sample in relation to early and late comparative materials can indicate that the studied sample represents recent settlers from the rural area.
Introduction.Human body morphological structure is a convenient and informative describer of individual development and condition. The study analyzed the indicators of the body physique in reliance on the body mass index in male adolescents of Magadan Region.
Materials and Methods. Two hundred and eight male adolescents permanently residing in the territory of Magadan Region were examined. The sample made up three groups according to the body mass index: Group 1 was for adolescents with a body mass deficit; Group 2 was normal body mass subjects, and Group 3 was overweight examinees. By using common methods, we studied basic anthropometric indicators with further calculation of the body component composition and specific indices.
Results. Resulting from the research we could refer 23% of the examined adolescents in Magadan Region to those having body mass deficit, 63% of the sample were people with normal body mass, and 15% of the surveyed subjects were diagnosed with excess body mass. Interestingly, there is a growth of BMI among overweight adolescents occurs owing equally to fat, muscle, and bone components.
Conclusion. The conducted research has shown quite good physical condition experienced by adolescent examinees: the values of fat, muscle, and bone components could be referred as norms despite the observed overweight and a negative growth in the waist circumference index. The results contribute to the understanding of necessity of a wider range of physical characteristics for assessing excess body mass, including indicators of body component using the bioimpedance method with further calculation of fat, muscle, and bone indices.
