Vasiliev Sergey Vladimirovich

Introduction. The population of the city of Astrakhan has been formed from quite heterogeneous groups from the very moment of its founding in 1558, both anthropologically and confessionally. Anthropological studies of the region are very important for understanding the migration processes that contributed to the formation of the city.

Materials and Methods. The material studied was discovered in the territory of the Blagoveshchensky Women's Monastery during the work of the archaeological expedition in 2022. The analyzed sample represents a Europoid population from excavations at the Blagoveshchensky Monastery (9 male skulls, 7 female). A standard craniological study was conducted on both the male and female parts of the sample. Canonical analysis was applied. Contour and graphic portraits-reconstructions were created for four male and two female skulls using M.M. Gerasimov's method.

Results and discussion. The craniological study revealed some increased variability in a number of traits, indicating the heterogeneity of the group. The male series is characterized by brachycephaly. The faces are wide at the level of the forehead, cheekbones, and lower jaw. The female sample shows mesocephaly, and like that of the males, has large facial breadth measurements. The male sample from the territory of the Blagoveshchensky Monastery in Astrakhan was found at the center of the graph surrounded by series from necropolises near monasteries in the Upper Volga region.

Conclusion. The studied sample is characterized by average craniological parameter values typical for late medieval Eastern European populations. The gallery of portraits presented in the article demonstrates the range of variability in the appearance of late medieval populations in Astrakhan. Based on the conducted craniological analysis and completed reconstructions of appearance, we can conclude that the studied group is somewhat heterogeneous within the Europoid race and can be classified as a Central European variant.

Funding. The study was carried out within the framework of the Russian Science Foundation and Belorussian Republican Foundation for fundamental research grant № 23-48-10011 «Bioarchaeological reconstruction of the lifestyle and physical characteristics of the medieval population of Belarus and the European part of Russia».