Introduction. During the fourth season of the Nubian Archaeological and Anthropological Expedition, organized by the Moscow State University Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology, research was conducted in the Deraheib site in Sudan, from February to March 2022. A 2×2 m test trench with a depth of 2.2 m was opened during the season underneath the opening in the wall in order to clarify the structural features of the northwestern wall and determine the construction phases of the Fortress.

Materials and methods. The excavated soil was meticulously sieved. The archaeological material consisted mainly of pottery and animal bones. Their analysis allows us to draw basic conclusions about the nature of the layer in which the trench was laid and to date the time of its formation. The light green soil was also analysed. Architectural analysis also allowed us to draw some important conclusions about the site.

Conclusions. Based on the results of studies in the test trench and the data from the engineering and architectural survey of the Northern Fortress, we are able to propose a chronology for the early stages of its usage. We believe that the northwestern and northeastern walls built in the first construction phase were weakened by mudflows, and more powerful walls were built to reinforce them during the second construction phase. The northwestern wall from the second construction period was built on a layer of debris left from the first stage of fortress’s usage. This layer, consisting of lustre ware fragments, dates back to the 10^th century. The space between the northwestern walls, which belonged to the first and second construction phases, respectively, i.e. the 10^th and 11^th centuries or possibly later, was used as a dump for household garbage, toilet waste, or even as an outhouse. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. The publication continues the series of articles devoted to the description of the collection of photographs of representatives of the peoples of the Kuban region, and is devoted to the study of photographic images of the Abaza. The method of anthropological photography is not only a visual way to preserve information over time, but also plays a significant role in shaping scientific heritage.

Materials and methods. The work was based on a collection of photographs collected by E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903), presented by him at the Anthropological Exhibition of 1879 in Moscow and stored in the collections of the D.N. Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Results. Describe and analyze the photographic images of the Abaza people who lived in the Batalpashinsky district of the Kuban region in the villages of Loovo-Kubansky and Dudarukovsky.

Discussion. The authorship of the studied Abaza photographs has been established: A.K. Engel, a famous photographer in the Caucasus in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made them. The article presents literary information on the problems of studying the origin, ethnic history, and cultural traditions of this nationality, as well as data on the study of the anthropological features of the Abaza.

Conclusion. The first published photographic images of Abaza, which are part of the collection provided by E.D. Felitsyn at the Anthropological Exhibition in 1879, are unique and have scientific, historical and documentary value and significance as visual material. With the development of modern society, photographs, along with museum exhibits, become the only witnesses of past times and events, an essential addition to the study of the indigenous peoples of the North Caucasus, which requires persistent joint efforts by anthropologists, ethnographers, geneticists, historians and linguists. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license

Introduction. The research is devoted to the study of an archival photographs' collection of the Tungus and Orochons of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, stored in the collections of Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology. In this article some photographs from the collection are published for the first time. In the work examines the possibilities of using archival photographic materials of the Tungus and Orochons to obtain a composite photographic portrait, and its comparison with composite photographic portraits of the modern Evenks.

Materials and methods. The material for the study was a collection of photographs of the Tungus and Orochons, collected at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries, which is currently stored in the funds of the Anuchin Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Moreover, to the photographs examined in the collections of the Museum of Anthropology, supplementary sources of archival photographs were used to create a composite portrait. A composite portrait of increased clarity was obtained using the faceONface software (combining images at three reference points). A comparative analysis of composite portraits obtained from archival and modern photographs was carried out.

Results and discussion. As a result of a comparative analysis of composite portraits of young and mature Tungus, constructed from archival materials, their significant similarity was revealed. Similarities were also noted between the portrait of the Tungus, obtained from archival data, and the portrait of modern Amur Evenks.

Conclusion. As a result of the analysis of the archival photo collection, the places of origin of some photographs were clarified, and new persons who participated in the creation of the photo collection were discovered. Based on the results of this study, it was shown that the composite photographic portrait method turned out to be the most correct tool for extracting anthropological information from archival photographic materials. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Introduction. For the first time, we present the results of the odontoglyphics applied to the analysis of the upper molars of Homo erectus from the Zhoukoudian. In general, the odontoglyphical pattern of the studied molars demonstrates greater complexity compared to the known characteristics of modern human teeth.

Materials and methods. Copies of Homo erectus teeth from Zhoukoudian and fossil teeth of the Early and Middle Pleistocene from the localities of Hexian, Yiyuan, Meipu and Tongzi. Methodology of odontoglyphics according to the monographs of A.A. Zubov and N.I. Khaldeeva.

Results and discussion. On the teeth of Homo erectus, a large number of third-order furrows were observed, for example, the 5th groove of the paracone and protocone (5pa, 5pr) and the 3rd groove of the paracone (3pa); we consider the latter as a result of bifurcation of the main crest of the paracone near the central fossa on the upper molars. As a result of the analysis, a new odontoglyphical trait - “unifeather grooves” in the anterior fovea on the occlusal surface of the upper molars - was identified and described. The relationship between the pattern at the enamel-dentin junction (EDJ) and the occlusal enamel surface (OES) is discussed. A correlation between mesial marginal accessory tubercles and odontoglyphic features in this region of the teeth is addressed. In this context, we discussed the primitiveness of the accessory tubercles, in particular, the lingual paracone tubercle (LPT), which can be traced back to the late Early-Pleistocene of Asian Homo erectus.

Conclusion. The results may be useful for identifying and understanding the phylogenetic origin of additional cusps and grooves on the molars of early Homo. © 2025. This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license