Konstantin Solodovnikov | Tyumen Research Center of SB RAS (original) (raw)

Papers by Konstantin Solodovnikov

Mongolian Journal of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnology, 2020

ХУРААНГУЙ: Тус өгүүлэлд Монгол улсын нутаг дэвсгэрээс олдсон хүрэл зэвсгийн эхэн үеийн краниологи... more ХУРААНГУЙ: Тус өгүүлэлд Монгол улсын нутаг дэвсгэрээс олдсон хүрэл зэвсгийн эхэн үеийн краниологийн материалын харьцуулсан судалгааны үр дүнг танилцуулж байна. Бидний судалгаагаар төв Монголын Афанасьевын соёлын хүний олдвор нь европжуу төрхтэй болох нь батлагдаж байгаа бөгөөд өмнөд Сибирийн Афанасьевчууд, дорнод Европын тал хээрийн бүс нутгийн протоевропжуу хүн амтай морфологийн хувьд ойролцоо байна. Алтай-Саян нутгийн Афанасьевын бүлгүүдийн дотор төв Монголын бүлэг Алтайн өмнөд хэсгийн хил дамнасан мужийн бүлэгтэй хамгийн төстэй байлаа. Монголын Хуурай говь 1-ийн Афанасьевын дурсгалаас олдсон гавлын яс нь өмнөд Сибирь, төв Азийн Афанасьевын бүх краниологийн материалууд дунд онцгой өвөрмөц шинжтэй байв. Баруун Монголын хүрлийн эхэн үеийн Хэмцэгийн соёлын олдворыг краниометрийн аргаар анх удаа судлахад эдгээр нь түүхэн өмнөх үеийн Афанасьевын соёлын хүн амаас маш их ялгаатай нь харагдлаа. Хэмцэгийн соёлын хүмүүс антропологи хэв шинжээрээ монголжуу-европжуу завсрын шинжтэй бөгөөд Байгал орчмын бүс нутгийн Серов ба Глазковын популяцитай хамгийн төстэй байв. Түүнчлэн Сибирийн өмнөд хэсэг ба төв Азийн хүрлийн эхэн үеийн археологийн соёлууд болох Алтай, дорнод Казахстаны Елунин, Тувагийн Аймырлыг оршуулгын газраас олдсон краниологийн материал (эрэгтэйчүүдэд), Бараба ойт хээрийн Сопка II дурсгалын Кротовын соёл, мөн Шинжааны Гумугоугийн булшны краниологийн материалтай зарим морфологийн шинжээр ойролцоо байна. Магадгүй энэ ижил төстэй байдал нь Алтай-Саяны умардын уулархаг нутгийн неолит-энеолитын краниологийн материалд тэмдэглэгдэж буй антропологийн нийтлэг субстратын тусгал байж болох юм.

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences, 2024

In this paper, we present the results of the craniometric study of Afanasievo and Chemurchek (Khe... more In this paper, we present the results of the craniometric study of Afanasievo and Chemurchek (Khemtseg or Hemtseg) archaeological cultures from the territory of Mongolia. Male crania of the Afanasievo culture from the central regions of Mongolia are characterized by a proto-European complex of traits of Eastern European origin. Among the groups of the Afanasievo culture of south Siberia, they are most similar morphologically to the series of crania from the transboundary region of the southern Altai. For the first time, we analyzed the craniological materials of the Chemurchek culture from the Early Bronze Age in Western Mongolia. Our study revealed a significant morphological difference between the Chemurchek culture population and the earlier Afanasievo culture population of South Siberia and Central Asia. From an anthropological perspective, the Chemurchek culture population is characterized by Asian features. They share close similarities with the populations from the northern regions of Mongolia during the Neolithic period. Additionally, they also bear resemblance to the populations of Serovo and Glazkovo cultures from the Circumbaikal region during the Neolithic-Bronze Age periods. We have noticed a certain similarity in the physical characteristics of early Bronze Age populations from south Siberia and central Asia. This similarity may indicate a common ancestral background among these populations. The range of physical diversity among ancient populations in Mongolia encompasses the entire spectrum of variation seen in the northern part of Eurasia during the Neolithic and early Bronze Ages, concerning the main ethnic and genetic lineages of humankind.

The article outlines results of an integrated study of a child skeleton from the Neolithic grave ... more The article outlines results of an integrated study of a child skeleton from the Neolithic grave no. 2 of the Ust-Aleika-5 burial ground (Upper Ob region). The skeletal age-at-death of individual is estimated as 2 years ± 8 months. The cranium is characterized by macrocephaly with an open anterior fontanel that is relatively large for this age category. The most probable cause of macrocephaly in this individual is a form of hydrocephalus, but more precise paleopathological diagnosis is problematic. The osteometric characteristics of the clavicles, scapulae, pelvic and long bones rather correspond to the lower limit of the confidence interval of the dental age. Some postcranial measurements may indicate heterochronous biological development, possibly due to observed pathological condition. Based on the discussed cranium 2D facial reconstruction was made. The results of cranial metric analysis and the reconstructed “adult” skull dimensions indicate the probable male sex of the child skeleton. Based on craniometric and dental non-metric traits it can be argued that Ust-Aleika-5 individual demonstrate closest proximity to the autochthonous population of the central regions of Eurasia, in particular, represented by the Neolithic-Eneolithic cranial samples from the Middle Irtysh, Barnaul-Biysk and Novosibirsk-Kamen Ob basin, Barabinsk forest-steppe, as well as the Aral Sea region. Dental anthropological analysis reveals the proximity of Ust-Aleika-5 individual to the Neolithic populations of the south of Western Siberia: from the Baraba burial grounds and foothill areas of the Altai-Sayan region. This analysis suggest that their composition preserved the characteristics of an older than the Neolithic population of the south of Western Siberia, characterized by a mild expression of “eastern” non-metric dental traits and long-term preservation of archaic ones.

Solodovnikov K. N., Faifert A. V. Some questions on paleoanthropology of the chalcolithic and early bronze ages in the south of Eastern Europe in connection with the problem of the origin of the Afanasievo culture., 2023

Aim. To study intergroup population variability of the ancient population of Southeastern Europe ... more Aim. To study intergroup population variability of the ancient population of Southeastern Europe in the context of the origin of the population of the Afanasievo culture of Southern Siberia and Central Asia. Methodology. A corpus of craniometric data was formed taking into account the identified problematic issues of paleoanthropology of the Eneolithic-Early Bronze steppes and forest-steppes of Eastern Europe, and its multidimensional statistical study was conducted. Results. The analysis made it possible to identify at the statistical level the differences between the series of two cultural and genetic layers of the ancient population of the south of Eastern Europe belonging to the proto-European anthropological type. The general differences between the populations of the Yamnaya community and the groups of the Eneolithic period preceding in these territories are determined. The greatest similarity of the majority of Afanasievo samples of skulls with Yamnaya craniological series of the territory of the steppes and forest-steppes of the Volga-Ural region, as well as a series from the Altai highlands with Eneolithic Berezhnovsky type, Sredny Stog culture and other groups of the steppe Eneolithic of southern Eastern Europe was revealed. Research implications. The formed craniological series of the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age of Southeastern Europe are suitable for studying the issues of cultural and ethnogenesis of the ancient population of this territory. The study of paleoanthropological materials of the Eastern European steppes and forest-steppes with the reception of new factual data should be carried out taking into account the key problems of paleoanthropology of this region.

Краниологические материалы энеолита — ранней бронзы северо-западной и юго-восточной периферии ареала афанасьевской общности: к вопросам о дальнедистанционных родственных связях и о выделении куротинского типа памятников

The article analyzes the craniometric features of the population of the Afanasevo culture of Nort... more The article analyzes the craniometric features of the population of the Afanasevo culture of Northwestern Altai and Central Mongolia, taking into account the previously identified molecular genetic relationship of two individuals from burials separated by a distance of 1410 km. The study confirmed the belonging of the Afanasiev populations to the Proto-European anthropological type of Eastern European origin, within which the population of Central Mongolia and Altai finds the greatest similarity. On the basis of the studied source base, some morphological features are outlined, which may reflect the consanguinity of individuals buried in different cemeteries of the Afanasiev community. The obtained results of the study demonstrate the absence of real morphological differences between the skulls from the burials of the Afanasiev culture and the burials of the Kurotinsky type of Gorny Altai. According to the method of M. M. Gerasimov made a graphic reconstruction of the skull of a man from the Shatar-Chuluu burial ground of the Afanasiev community from Central Mongolia.

Антропологические сюжеты: Исследования друзей и коллег Сергея Васильева по случаю его 60-летия. Москва: Институт этнологии и антропологии им. Н.Н. Миклухо-Маклая РАН, 2023., 2023

Статья посвящена описанию и характеристике антропологических материалов эпохи энеолита с территор... more Статья посвящена описанию и характеристике антропологических материалов эпохи энеолита с территории Тургайского прогиба по краниологической и одонтологической методикам. Одонтологическая характеристика относит исследованную выборку к северному грацильному типу. Краниологические данные указывают на морфологическую «промежуточность» населения энеолита Тургайского прогиба между популяциями монголоидного и европеоидного антропологических типов. Проведено межгрупповое сопоставление на основе канонического и кластерного анализа, определено наибольшее сходство изученных палеоматериалов с группами неолита-энеолита лесостепной полосы Западной Сибири и Северного Казахстана.

A Craniological Find on the Square of the Nikultsino Burial Ground of the Fatyanovo сulture of the Bronze Age in the Yaroslavl Region

The results of a craniometric study of the skull of a man from a destroyed burial on the territor... more The results of a craniometric study of the skull of a man from a destroyed burial on the territory of the burial ground of the Upper Volga variant of the Fatyanovo culture are published. It belongs to a long-headed hyperdolichocrane very Caucasoid anthropological type with moderate latitudinal parameters of the facial structure, characterizing the physical appearance of the population of the Fatyanovo culture. To verify the assumption of a different cultural and chronological affiliation of the cranium, a principal component analysis was carried out. It includes individual measurements of skulls of the same subgroup of the Upper Volga group of the Fatyanovo culture, craniological materials from the medieval burial mounds of the Yaroslavl Krivichs, and to clarify the scale of statistical comparison, a skull from the burial culture of the Ryazan-Oka burial grounds from the burial of Undrich-90. A set of features distinguishing the population of the Fatyanovo culture and the medieval one on the territory of the Yaroslavl Volga region, and largely corresponding to epochal trends, is highlighted. It includes larger total dimensions of the skull sections, a slightly more inclined forehead, a clinognathic horizontal profiling at the upper level of a more orthognathic facial section, a higher nose bridge and significantly outstanding nasal bones on Bronze Age materials. According to the results of statistical analysis, the skull from the Nikultsino burial ground differs from the medieval ones, and morphologically is most similar to the materials of the Fatyanovo culture, especially from the same and neighboring Voronkovo burial grounds.

Черепа из эпонимных Синташтинских могильников эпохи бронзы в коллекциях Кабинета антропологии ТГУ: предварительные результаты исследования // Проблемы изучения изменчивости в антропологии: Новое в многообразии традиционного. М.: ИЭА РАН, 2022.

Вводятся в научный оборот краниологические материалы эпохи бронзы из Синташтинского комплекса пам... more Вводятся в научный оборот краниологические материалы эпохи бронзы из Синташтинского комплекса памятников, хранящиеся в Кабинете антропологии Томского госуниверситета. Фрагменты мозговых коробок двух взрослых индивидов происходят из погребальной камеры Большого Синташтинского кургана, культурно-хронологическая принадлежность которого в настоящее время не может быть определена. Два реставрированных женских черепа происходят из погребений 2 и 3 могильника СМ Синташтинского комплекса, и пригодны для использования в изучении антропологического состава населения синташтинской культуры.

Солодовников К.Н. Возможности выявления внутренней хронологии некрополей и мобильности населения алакульской культуры на основе изучения антропологических материалов (на примере могильника Майтан эпохи бронзы Центрального Казахстана)

The author presents the connexion of the results of the natural-scientific study of paleoanthropo... more The author presents the connexion of the results of the natural-scientific study of paleoanthropological materials from the necropolis of Maitan (18th — early 17th cent. BC). The revealed demographic situation is typical for populations of the Bronze Age, some of its features suggest an initial period of adaptation. Genetic and morphological evidence suggests a Western origin of the population. The craniological specifics of the individual buried correspond to the finds of ceramic imports from the Ural-Tobol region. According to isotopic measurements, individuals from the earliest burials are similar to the groups of the Tobol steppe, while the rest correspond to local Central Kazakhstan samples. Women with a different genetic profile were buried in the fences of the western planigraphic group.

Солодовников К.Н. Комплексное исследование антропологических материалов могильника Майтан алакульской культуры эпохи бронзы Центрального Казахстана // Вестник археологии, антропологии и этнографии. – 2022. – № 2(57). – С. 128-144. , 2022

Проводится коннексия результатов естественно-научного изучения костных человеческих останков из н... more Проводится коннексия результатов естественно-научного изучения костных человеческих останков из некрополя XVIII — начала XVII в. до н.э. Реконструируемая демографическая ситуация типична для популяций эпохи бронзы, некоторые ее особенности предполагают начальный период адаптации группы. Краниологическая специфика некоторых погребенных соответствует керамическим импортам из урало-тобольского региона алакульской культуры. Индивиды из наиболее ранних погребений по соотношению изотопов углерода и азота сходны с группами степного Притоболья, остальные соответствуют местным центрально-казахстанским образцам. Палеогенетические и краниологические данные свидетельствуют об исходно волго-уральском происхождении населения. Женщины с отличающимся от остальных индивидов генетическим профилем погребены в оградах отдельной планиграфической группы.
A correlation of the results of the study of the paleoanthropological materials from the necropolis of Maitan by different scientific methods has been carried out in order to establish chronological and spatial differentiation of the burial ground and origins of the group. The complex approach allows the analysis of the problems of absolute and relative chronologies of the necropolis, demographic dynamics of the group in the context of the natural environment, and anthropological and genetic structure of the Bronze Age populations of the Eurasian steppes. The paleodemographic context reconstructed for the Maitan group is typical for the populations of the Bronze Age; some of its features may indicate an early period of adaptation, possibly related to migration of the group into the new territory. The intergroup statistical analysis of craniological materials suggests primarily western origins of the people. Particular craniological characteristics of some interred of the necropolis correspond with the recorded on the Maitan ware long-distance imports from the Urals-Tobol region of the Alakul Culture. For the first time on the materials of a numerically representative series of samples of humans and terrestrial herbivores of the Bronze Age Central Kazakhstan, Upper Tobol River region, and Trans-Urals steppes, the regional isotopic background has been established. Some individuals from the earliest burials of Maitan, according to the radiocarbon dating, are similar in isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen to the groups from further western regions of the Upper Tobol River steppes, whereas the other interred correspond in the isotopic values with local Central Kazakhstan samples. It is possible that at the later stages of the spatial organization of the necropolis, women featuring a genetic profile different from other individuals and buried within the fences of the western planigraphic group took part in the formation of its remaining collective. In general, according to the series of calibrated radiocarbon dates, Maitan burial ground dates to the 18th — early 17th century BC.

Солодовников К. Н., Эрдэнэ М. Феномен высокорослости афанасьевцев Алтая и Хангая: влияние среды или восточно-европейское наследие? // Strarum plus. – № 2: За гранью видимого мира. – Санкт-Петербург; Кишинев; Одесса; Бухарест, 2022. – С. 373-394., 2022

From the end of the 4 th millennium BC, a new proto-Caucasian population that characterized the A... more From the end of the 4 th millennium BC, a new proto-Caucasian population that characterized the Afanasyevo culture spread in the interior regions of Asia. This contrasted with the intermediate Mongoloid-Caucasoid anthropological appearance of the local Asian populations. The Afanasyevo bearers from Altai and Khangai are distinguished by the largest body stature among the ancient human groups of Eurasia. The craniological and osteometrical differences of the Afanasyevo populations are likely related with the adaptation of the migrant people to the harsh bio-climatic conditions of the mountainous regions of the Southern Siberia and Central Asia, which resulted in greater increase of the head and body size. A statistical comparison of the Afanasyevo craniological series and the Eneolithic ancestral groups (more than 150 crania), Early and Early Middle Bronze Age (about 520 crania) from the south of Eastern Europe allowed to discover a complex of traits that distinguish the Yamnaya population from the previous Eneolithic groups. The Afanasyevo bearers from the low-mountain regions of Altai, the Minusinsk Basin and Khangai mountain are most similar to the Yamnaya people of the forest-steppe and steppe regions of the Volga and Urals, which thus determines the origins of the Afanasyevo population. The craniological series of the Afanasyevo population from the Altai highlands are morphologically combined with the Eneolithic Eastern European groups (Sredny Stog and Repin cultures, Berezhnovka type), which suggests that their descendants could contribute towards the formation of the Afanasyevo population.

The Siberian component of the formation of the anthropologic composition of the population of the... more The Siberian component of the formation of the anthropologic composition of the population of the Andronovo culture of the Middle Yenisey.

TO THE PROBLEM OF DETERMINING GENDER BY THE SKULL OF ANCIENT MAN (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF THE A... more TO THE PROBLEM OF DETERMINING GENDER BY THE SKULL OF ANCIENT MAN (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF THE AFANASYEV CULTURE OF THE MINUSINSK BASIN)

FINDING OF HUMAN CRANIUM OF EUROPEOID TYPE FROM BURIAL OF EARLY BRONZE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF MONGOL... more FINDING OF HUMAN CRANIUM OF EUROPEOID TYPE FROM BURIAL OF EARLY BRONZE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF MONGOLIAN ALTAY

Вестник Томского государственного университета. История. № 68 , 2020

Обсуждаются концепции антропологической дифференциации морфологически промежуточного между европе... more Обсуждаются концепции антропологической дифференциации морфологически промежуточного между европеоидным и монголоидным расовыми стволами населения неолита юга Западной и Средней Сибири. Древние группы западносибирской лесостепи предлагается относить к особой протоазиатской формации и рассматривать отдельно от европеоидных популяций эпохи камня лесной полосы Восточной Европы. Исследуются краниологические материалы неолита юга Средней Сибири, определяются ареалы основных антропологических общностей неолитического населения центральных областей Евразии.
The Neolithic paleoanthropological materials from south of Western and Middle Siberia have been analysed. Description of the anthropological appearance of the Neolithic population can be based on several cranial series from cemeteries located in the forest-steppe areas between the Tobol-Ishim interfluve and the Kuznetsk Basin, as well as in the Krasnoyarsk and Kansk. According to the long-lasting study, this population was characterized by features of appearance intermediate between typical representatives of the Caucasian and Mongoloid racial types. Here, we discuss the concepts of anthropological differentiation of the Neolithic population in the south of Western and Central Siberia. Previous statistical analysis of the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic craniological materials suggests the racial and genetic independence of the Neolithic population of the forest-steppe regions of Western Siberia. Its genesis should be considered separately from the Caucasian populations of the Stone Age of the Eastern European forest belt. According to the V.V. Bunak’s terminology, we attribute the ancient groups of the West Siberian forest-steppe to a special proto-Asian formation – the ancient variant of the West-Siberian race. Modern Ural-, Turkic- and Ket-speaking population of Western Siberia belongs to the West-Siberian race in its Ural, Ob-Irtysh and Yamal-Yenisei variants.
Additional materials craniofacial morphology from the Neolithic burials near Krasnoyarsk and in the lower Angara River have been analysed. Characteristics of the combined craniological series from the Krasnoyarsk-Kan forest-steppe are presented, the intergroup statistical comparison has been carried out using canonical analysis and clustering of the Mahalanobis-Rao’s generalised distances (D2) according to the Ward's method against the morphological background of male and female series of the Neolithic-Eneolithic skulls of Northern Asia. Analysis of new and previously published craniological materials clarified boundaries of the areas of the main Neolithic anthropological communities in the middle of Eurasia. The eastern part of the area of the southern Eurasian anthropological formation in the central Eurasia steppe and mountain-steppe regions identified by T.A. Chikisheva was limited to the territory of the Krasnoyarsk-Kan forest-steppe. The regions to the north and east were populated by the groups with anthropological features of the so-called "Palaeosiberian" type, inherent to the Neolithic population of Cis-Baikal and the Lower Angara River regions. As a perspective for further research, a study has been outlined to analyse possible racial-genetic links between the ancient populations belonging to the southern Eurasian anthropological formation with the morphologically similar brachycranial and low-faced forms of the Mesolithic-Neolithic of Eastern Siberia, in particular, defined as an ancient version of the Katanga anthropological type of the North Asian Mongoloid race.

Солодовников К.Н. Место населения неолита Алтая в популяционно-антропологической структуре Еврази... more Солодовников К.Н. Место населения неолита Алтая в популяционно-антропологической структуре Евразии // Евразийство: теоретический потенциал и практические приложения: материалы Десятой Всероссийской (с международным участием) научно-практической конференции. Барнаул: Изд-во Алт. ун-та. 2020. С. 84 – 88.

К.Н. Солодовников А.Н. Багашёв Ареалы антропологических общностей населения неолита юга Западной и Средней Сибири , 2020

Краткие материалы XVIII Международной Западносибирской археолого-этнографической конференции: «За... more Краткие материалы XVIII Международной Западносибирской археолого-этнографической конференции: «Западная Сибирь в транскультурном пространстве Северной Евразии: итоги и перспективы 50 лет исследований ЗСАЭК» (2020 г., Томск, Россия).

Выше гор? Как холод и горы изменили внешний облик населения Алтая периода энеолита – ранней бронзы, 2020

BURIAL OF THE KARAKOL BRONZE AGE CULTURE IN THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS IN THE MENDUR-SOKKON VILLAGE // ПОГРЕБЕНИЕ КАРАКОЛЬСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ ЭПОХИ БРОНЗЫ ГОРНОГО АЛТАЯ В С. МЕНДУР-СОККОН (предварительные результаты археологического и палеоантропологического исследования), 2020

The paper presents the results of excavations of the emergency burial of the Karakol culture of t... more The paper presents the results of excavations of the emergency burial of the Karakol culture of the Bronze Age in the village of Mendur-Sokkon in the Altai Mountains. The features of the funeral rite, the design of the stone box are described. A unique vessel was found in the burial, ornamented over the entire surface with fir-tree ornaments. The sign of the Odal rune is depicted on the bottom of the vessel. The burial is dated to the end of 3rd – beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The craniological features of the local anthropological component of the composition of the early bronze cultures of southern Siberia with intermediate Caucasoid-Mongoloid racial features are clearly manifested on the skull of a woman from Mendur-Sokkon. One can argue about the great morphological similarity of the buried with individuals buried in the unified cultural burials of Ozernoye and Karakol in Central Altai. On a territorially wider scale, the skull of a woman from a burial in the village of Mendur-Sokkon resembles the craniological series of the Okunevo culture of the Minusinsk depression, which of all the cultural formations of the early bronze of southern and southern Western Siberia anthropologically is the most related to the Karakol one.
Представлены результаты аварийных раскопок частично разрушенного погребения каракольской культуры эпохи бронзы в с. Мендур-Соккон в Горном Алтае. Описываются особенности погребального обряда, конструкция каменного ящика, а также уникальный сосуд, вся поверхность которого покрыта елочным орнаментом, а на днище изображен знак, похожий на руны «Одал». Погребение датировано концом III – началом II тыс. до н.э. На черепе женщины из Мендур-Соккона отчетливо проявляются особенности местного антропологического компонента в составе населения Южной Сибири периода ранней бронзы, для которого характерны промежуточные европеоидно-монголоидные черты. Отмечается большое морфологическое сходство между черепами из разных могильников каракольской культуры. Череп женщины из погребения в селе Мендур-Соккон проявляет также сходство с краниологическими сериями окуневской культуры Минусинской котловины.

Вестник археологии, антропологии и этнографии. 2020. № 1 (48), 2020

Recent studies show that, in the 3rd millennium BC, the highlands in the basin of the upper reach... more Recent studies show that, in the 3rd millennium BC, the highlands in the basin of the upper reaches of the Khovd (Kobdo) River constituted a ritual zone, which was of particular importance for the population inhabiting the western foothills of the Mongolian Altai Mountains. Its cultural singularity was due to the so-called Chemurchek cultural phenomenon — a set of characteristics of West European origin, which appeared there no later than 2700–2600 BC. Three large-scale ritual complexes-‘shrines’ attributed to this period were discovered in the area of Lake Dayan Nuur. Excavations conducted by the expedition of A.A. Kovalev and Ch. Munkhbayar revealed that these structures constituted fences consisting of vertical stone slabs, decorated all-over on the outside with theimages of fantastic anthropomorphic creatures and animals. The excavation of Hulagash 1 (one of these sanctuaries),
radiocarbon dated to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, revealed a single grave in the centre of the structure, synchronous with the time when the complex was used. The grave belonged to a man of advanced
age, whose body was wrapped in a wide piece of cloth. The significance of this man being buried in the centre of the ritual site remains unclear. This person could have been sacrificed during construction or, conversely, he could have had a special status. Craniometrical measurement and dentological investigation of the scull from the
Chemurchek sanctuary Hulagash were conducted; its graphic reconstruction was performed. Its anthropological type shows a significant Mongoloid component. Intergroup comparison revealed its significant morphological differences from markedly Caucasoid groups, including the Afanasievo culture of South Siberia and Central Asia.
This excludes the morphogenetic continuity of the Chemurchek phenomenon from the antecedent Afanasievo population.
The individual from Hulagash bears the greatest anthropological similarity to the Neolithic-Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age populations of the Circumbaikal region (Serovo and Glazkovo cultures) and the Barnaul-Biysk Ob area (Itkul and Firsovo XI burial grounds dating back to the pre-Bronze Age; Early Bronze Age burial grounds of the Elunino culture). This is obviously a manifestation of a shared anthropological substrate, since the anthropological component of the Baikal type (which the population of the Elunino culture included) was recorded in the Neolithic-Eneolithic materials from the northern foothills of the Altai Mountains. Remarkable morphological similarities between the individual from Hulagash and the bearers of the Elunino archaeological culture reinforce the assumption that there is a cultural affinity between the Chemurchek and Elunino populations of the Early Bronze Age.
Key words: Early Bronze Age, Chemurchek cultural phenomenon, Elunino culture, Western Mongolia, paleoanthropology.
На чемурчекском ритуальном комплексе середины III тыс. до н.э. в Монгольском Алтае обнаружена могила с погребением мужчины старческого возраста. Череп его исследован по краниометрической и одонтологической программам, выполнена графическая реконструкция. Выявлены морфологические
особенности, сближающие погребенного с представителями популяций монголоидного расового ствола. Антропологическое сходство найденного на чемурчекском святилище индивида и носителей елунинской культуры подкрепляет мнение о наличии общности этих культурных образований.

Mongolian Journal of Anthropology, Archaeology and Ethnology, 2020

ХУРААНГУЙ: Тус өгүүлэлд Монгол улсын нутаг дэвсгэрээс олдсон хүрэл зэвсгийн эхэн үеийн краниологи... more ХУРААНГУЙ: Тус өгүүлэлд Монгол улсын нутаг дэвсгэрээс олдсон хүрэл зэвсгийн эхэн үеийн краниологийн материалын харьцуулсан судалгааны үр дүнг танилцуулж байна. Бидний судалгаагаар төв Монголын Афанасьевын соёлын хүний олдвор нь европжуу төрхтэй болох нь батлагдаж байгаа бөгөөд өмнөд Сибирийн Афанасьевчууд, дорнод Европын тал хээрийн бүс нутгийн протоевропжуу хүн амтай морфологийн хувьд ойролцоо байна. Алтай-Саян нутгийн Афанасьевын бүлгүүдийн дотор төв Монголын бүлэг Алтайн өмнөд хэсгийн хил дамнасан мужийн бүлэгтэй хамгийн төстэй байлаа. Монголын Хуурай говь 1-ийн Афанасьевын дурсгалаас олдсон гавлын яс нь өмнөд Сибирь, төв Азийн Афанасьевын бүх краниологийн материалууд дунд онцгой өвөрмөц шинжтэй байв. Баруун Монголын хүрлийн эхэн үеийн Хэмцэгийн соёлын олдворыг краниометрийн аргаар анх удаа судлахад эдгээр нь түүхэн өмнөх үеийн Афанасьевын соёлын хүн амаас маш их ялгаатай нь харагдлаа. Хэмцэгийн соёлын хүмүүс антропологи хэв шинжээрээ монголжуу-европжуу завсрын шинжтэй бөгөөд Байгал орчмын бүс нутгийн Серов ба Глазковын популяцитай хамгийн төстэй байв. Түүнчлэн Сибирийн өмнөд хэсэг ба төв Азийн хүрлийн эхэн үеийн археологийн соёлууд болох Алтай, дорнод Казахстаны Елунин, Тувагийн Аймырлыг оршуулгын газраас олдсон краниологийн материал (эрэгтэйчүүдэд), Бараба ойт хээрийн Сопка II дурсгалын Кротовын соёл, мөн Шинжааны Гумугоугийн булшны краниологийн материалтай зарим морфологийн шинжээр ойролцоо байна. Магадгүй энэ ижил төстэй байдал нь Алтай-Саяны умардын уулархаг нутгийн неолит-энеолитын краниологийн материалд тэмдэглэгдэж буй антропологийн нийтлэг субстратын тусгал байж болох юм.

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences, 2024

In this paper, we present the results of the craniometric study of Afanasievo and Chemurchek (Khe... more In this paper, we present the results of the craniometric study of Afanasievo and Chemurchek (Khemtseg or Hemtseg) archaeological cultures from the territory of Mongolia. Male crania of the Afanasievo culture from the central regions of Mongolia are characterized by a proto-European complex of traits of Eastern European origin. Among the groups of the Afanasievo culture of south Siberia, they are most similar morphologically to the series of crania from the transboundary region of the southern Altai. For the first time, we analyzed the craniological materials of the Chemurchek culture from the Early Bronze Age in Western Mongolia. Our study revealed a significant morphological difference between the Chemurchek culture population and the earlier Afanasievo culture population of South Siberia and Central Asia. From an anthropological perspective, the Chemurchek culture population is characterized by Asian features. They share close similarities with the populations from the northern regions of Mongolia during the Neolithic period. Additionally, they also bear resemblance to the populations of Serovo and Glazkovo cultures from the Circumbaikal region during the Neolithic-Bronze Age periods. We have noticed a certain similarity in the physical characteristics of early Bronze Age populations from south Siberia and central Asia. This similarity may indicate a common ancestral background among these populations. The range of physical diversity among ancient populations in Mongolia encompasses the entire spectrum of variation seen in the northern part of Eurasia during the Neolithic and early Bronze Ages, concerning the main ethnic and genetic lineages of humankind.

The article outlines results of an integrated study of a child skeleton from the Neolithic grave ... more The article outlines results of an integrated study of a child skeleton from the Neolithic grave no. 2 of the Ust-Aleika-5 burial ground (Upper Ob region). The skeletal age-at-death of individual is estimated as 2 years ± 8 months. The cranium is characterized by macrocephaly with an open anterior fontanel that is relatively large for this age category. The most probable cause of macrocephaly in this individual is a form of hydrocephalus, but more precise paleopathological diagnosis is problematic. The osteometric characteristics of the clavicles, scapulae, pelvic and long bones rather correspond to the lower limit of the confidence interval of the dental age. Some postcranial measurements may indicate heterochronous biological development, possibly due to observed pathological condition. Based on the discussed cranium 2D facial reconstruction was made. The results of cranial metric analysis and the reconstructed “adult” skull dimensions indicate the probable male sex of the child skeleton. Based on craniometric and dental non-metric traits it can be argued that Ust-Aleika-5 individual demonstrate closest proximity to the autochthonous population of the central regions of Eurasia, in particular, represented by the Neolithic-Eneolithic cranial samples from the Middle Irtysh, Barnaul-Biysk and Novosibirsk-Kamen Ob basin, Barabinsk forest-steppe, as well as the Aral Sea region. Dental anthropological analysis reveals the proximity of Ust-Aleika-5 individual to the Neolithic populations of the south of Western Siberia: from the Baraba burial grounds and foothill areas of the Altai-Sayan region. This analysis suggest that their composition preserved the characteristics of an older than the Neolithic population of the south of Western Siberia, characterized by a mild expression of “eastern” non-metric dental traits and long-term preservation of archaic ones.

Solodovnikov K. N., Faifert A. V. Some questions on paleoanthropology of the chalcolithic and early bronze ages in the south of Eastern Europe in connection with the problem of the origin of the Afanasievo culture., 2023

Aim. To study intergroup population variability of the ancient population of Southeastern Europe ... more Aim. To study intergroup population variability of the ancient population of Southeastern Europe in the context of the origin of the population of the Afanasievo culture of Southern Siberia and Central Asia. Methodology. A corpus of craniometric data was formed taking into account the identified problematic issues of paleoanthropology of the Eneolithic-Early Bronze steppes and forest-steppes of Eastern Europe, and its multidimensional statistical study was conducted. Results. The analysis made it possible to identify at the statistical level the differences between the series of two cultural and genetic layers of the ancient population of the south of Eastern Europe belonging to the proto-European anthropological type. The general differences between the populations of the Yamnaya community and the groups of the Eneolithic period preceding in these territories are determined. The greatest similarity of the majority of Afanasievo samples of skulls with Yamnaya craniological series of the territory of the steppes and forest-steppes of the Volga-Ural region, as well as a series from the Altai highlands with Eneolithic Berezhnovsky type, Sredny Stog culture and other groups of the steppe Eneolithic of southern Eastern Europe was revealed. Research implications. The formed craniological series of the Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age of Southeastern Europe are suitable for studying the issues of cultural and ethnogenesis of the ancient population of this territory. The study of paleoanthropological materials of the Eastern European steppes and forest-steppes with the reception of new factual data should be carried out taking into account the key problems of paleoanthropology of this region.

Краниологические материалы энеолита — ранней бронзы северо-западной и юго-восточной периферии ареала афанасьевской общности: к вопросам о дальнедистанционных родственных связях и о выделении куротинского типа памятников

The article analyzes the craniometric features of the population of the Afanasevo culture of Nort... more The article analyzes the craniometric features of the population of the Afanasevo culture of Northwestern Altai and Central Mongolia, taking into account the previously identified molecular genetic relationship of two individuals from burials separated by a distance of 1410 km. The study confirmed the belonging of the Afanasiev populations to the Proto-European anthropological type of Eastern European origin, within which the population of Central Mongolia and Altai finds the greatest similarity. On the basis of the studied source base, some morphological features are outlined, which may reflect the consanguinity of individuals buried in different cemeteries of the Afanasiev community. The obtained results of the study demonstrate the absence of real morphological differences between the skulls from the burials of the Afanasiev culture and the burials of the Kurotinsky type of Gorny Altai. According to the method of M. M. Gerasimov made a graphic reconstruction of the skull of a man from the Shatar-Chuluu burial ground of the Afanasiev community from Central Mongolia.

Антропологические сюжеты: Исследования друзей и коллег Сергея Васильева по случаю его 60-летия. Москва: Институт этнологии и антропологии им. Н.Н. Миклухо-Маклая РАН, 2023., 2023

Статья посвящена описанию и характеристике антропологических материалов эпохи энеолита с территор... more Статья посвящена описанию и характеристике антропологических материалов эпохи энеолита с территории Тургайского прогиба по краниологической и одонтологической методикам. Одонтологическая характеристика относит исследованную выборку к северному грацильному типу. Краниологические данные указывают на морфологическую «промежуточность» населения энеолита Тургайского прогиба между популяциями монголоидного и европеоидного антропологических типов. Проведено межгрупповое сопоставление на основе канонического и кластерного анализа, определено наибольшее сходство изученных палеоматериалов с группами неолита-энеолита лесостепной полосы Западной Сибири и Северного Казахстана.

A Craniological Find on the Square of the Nikultsino Burial Ground of the Fatyanovo сulture of the Bronze Age in the Yaroslavl Region

The results of a craniometric study of the skull of a man from a destroyed burial on the territor... more The results of a craniometric study of the skull of a man from a destroyed burial on the territory of the burial ground of the Upper Volga variant of the Fatyanovo culture are published. It belongs to a long-headed hyperdolichocrane very Caucasoid anthropological type with moderate latitudinal parameters of the facial structure, characterizing the physical appearance of the population of the Fatyanovo culture. To verify the assumption of a different cultural and chronological affiliation of the cranium, a principal component analysis was carried out. It includes individual measurements of skulls of the same subgroup of the Upper Volga group of the Fatyanovo culture, craniological materials from the medieval burial mounds of the Yaroslavl Krivichs, and to clarify the scale of statistical comparison, a skull from the burial culture of the Ryazan-Oka burial grounds from the burial of Undrich-90. A set of features distinguishing the population of the Fatyanovo culture and the medieval one on the territory of the Yaroslavl Volga region, and largely corresponding to epochal trends, is highlighted. It includes larger total dimensions of the skull sections, a slightly more inclined forehead, a clinognathic horizontal profiling at the upper level of a more orthognathic facial section, a higher nose bridge and significantly outstanding nasal bones on Bronze Age materials. According to the results of statistical analysis, the skull from the Nikultsino burial ground differs from the medieval ones, and morphologically is most similar to the materials of the Fatyanovo culture, especially from the same and neighboring Voronkovo burial grounds.

Черепа из эпонимных Синташтинских могильников эпохи бронзы в коллекциях Кабинета антропологии ТГУ: предварительные результаты исследования // Проблемы изучения изменчивости в антропологии: Новое в многообразии традиционного. М.: ИЭА РАН, 2022.

Вводятся в научный оборот краниологические материалы эпохи бронзы из Синташтинского комплекса пам... more Вводятся в научный оборот краниологические материалы эпохи бронзы из Синташтинского комплекса памятников, хранящиеся в Кабинете антропологии Томского госуниверситета. Фрагменты мозговых коробок двух взрослых индивидов происходят из погребальной камеры Большого Синташтинского кургана, культурно-хронологическая принадлежность которого в настоящее время не может быть определена. Два реставрированных женских черепа происходят из погребений 2 и 3 могильника СМ Синташтинского комплекса, и пригодны для использования в изучении антропологического состава населения синташтинской культуры.

Солодовников К.Н. Возможности выявления внутренней хронологии некрополей и мобильности населения алакульской культуры на основе изучения антропологических материалов (на примере могильника Майтан эпохи бронзы Центрального Казахстана)

The author presents the connexion of the results of the natural-scientific study of paleoanthropo... more The author presents the connexion of the results of the natural-scientific study of paleoanthropological materials from the necropolis of Maitan (18th — early 17th cent. BC). The revealed demographic situation is typical for populations of the Bronze Age, some of its features suggest an initial period of adaptation. Genetic and morphological evidence suggests a Western origin of the population. The craniological specifics of the individual buried correspond to the finds of ceramic imports from the Ural-Tobol region. According to isotopic measurements, individuals from the earliest burials are similar to the groups of the Tobol steppe, while the rest correspond to local Central Kazakhstan samples. Women with a different genetic profile were buried in the fences of the western planigraphic group.

Солодовников К.Н. Комплексное исследование антропологических материалов могильника Майтан алакульской культуры эпохи бронзы Центрального Казахстана // Вестник археологии, антропологии и этнографии. – 2022. – № 2(57). – С. 128-144. , 2022

Проводится коннексия результатов естественно-научного изучения костных человеческих останков из н... more Проводится коннексия результатов естественно-научного изучения костных человеческих останков из некрополя XVIII — начала XVII в. до н.э. Реконструируемая демографическая ситуация типична для популяций эпохи бронзы, некоторые ее особенности предполагают начальный период адаптации группы. Краниологическая специфика некоторых погребенных соответствует керамическим импортам из урало-тобольского региона алакульской культуры. Индивиды из наиболее ранних погребений по соотношению изотопов углерода и азота сходны с группами степного Притоболья, остальные соответствуют местным центрально-казахстанским образцам. Палеогенетические и краниологические данные свидетельствуют об исходно волго-уральском происхождении населения. Женщины с отличающимся от остальных индивидов генетическим профилем погребены в оградах отдельной планиграфической группы.
A correlation of the results of the study of the paleoanthropological materials from the necropolis of Maitan by different scientific methods has been carried out in order to establish chronological and spatial differentiation of the burial ground and origins of the group. The complex approach allows the analysis of the problems of absolute and relative chronologies of the necropolis, demographic dynamics of the group in the context of the natural environment, and anthropological and genetic structure of the Bronze Age populations of the Eurasian steppes. The paleodemographic context reconstructed for the Maitan group is typical for the populations of the Bronze Age; some of its features may indicate an early period of adaptation, possibly related to migration of the group into the new territory. The intergroup statistical analysis of craniological materials suggests primarily western origins of the people. Particular craniological characteristics of some interred of the necropolis correspond with the recorded on the Maitan ware long-distance imports from the Urals-Tobol region of the Alakul Culture. For the first time on the materials of a numerically representative series of samples of humans and terrestrial herbivores of the Bronze Age Central Kazakhstan, Upper Tobol River region, and Trans-Urals steppes, the regional isotopic background has been established. Some individuals from the earliest burials of Maitan, according to the radiocarbon dating, are similar in isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen to the groups from further western regions of the Upper Tobol River steppes, whereas the other interred correspond in the isotopic values with local Central Kazakhstan samples. It is possible that at the later stages of the spatial organization of the necropolis, women featuring a genetic profile different from other individuals and buried within the fences of the western planigraphic group took part in the formation of its remaining collective. In general, according to the series of calibrated radiocarbon dates, Maitan burial ground dates to the 18th — early 17th century BC.

Солодовников К. Н., Эрдэнэ М. Феномен высокорослости афанасьевцев Алтая и Хангая: влияние среды или восточно-европейское наследие? // Strarum plus. – № 2: За гранью видимого мира. – Санкт-Петербург; Кишинев; Одесса; Бухарест, 2022. – С. 373-394., 2022

From the end of the 4 th millennium BC, a new proto-Caucasian population that characterized the A... more From the end of the 4 th millennium BC, a new proto-Caucasian population that characterized the Afanasyevo culture spread in the interior regions of Asia. This contrasted with the intermediate Mongoloid-Caucasoid anthropological appearance of the local Asian populations. The Afanasyevo bearers from Altai and Khangai are distinguished by the largest body stature among the ancient human groups of Eurasia. The craniological and osteometrical differences of the Afanasyevo populations are likely related with the adaptation of the migrant people to the harsh bio-climatic conditions of the mountainous regions of the Southern Siberia and Central Asia, which resulted in greater increase of the head and body size. A statistical comparison of the Afanasyevo craniological series and the Eneolithic ancestral groups (more than 150 crania), Early and Early Middle Bronze Age (about 520 crania) from the south of Eastern Europe allowed to discover a complex of traits that distinguish the Yamnaya population from the previous Eneolithic groups. The Afanasyevo bearers from the low-mountain regions of Altai, the Minusinsk Basin and Khangai mountain are most similar to the Yamnaya people of the forest-steppe and steppe regions of the Volga and Urals, which thus determines the origins of the Afanasyevo population. The craniological series of the Afanasyevo population from the Altai highlands are morphologically combined with the Eneolithic Eastern European groups (Sredny Stog and Repin cultures, Berezhnovka type), which suggests that their descendants could contribute towards the formation of the Afanasyevo population.

The Siberian component of the formation of the anthropologic composition of the population of the... more The Siberian component of the formation of the anthropologic composition of the population of the Andronovo culture of the Middle Yenisey.

TO THE PROBLEM OF DETERMINING GENDER BY THE SKULL OF ANCIENT MAN (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF THE A... more TO THE PROBLEM OF DETERMINING GENDER BY THE SKULL OF ANCIENT MAN (BASED ON THE MATERIALS OF THE AFANASYEV CULTURE OF THE MINUSINSK BASIN)

FINDING OF HUMAN CRANIUM OF EUROPEOID TYPE FROM BURIAL OF EARLY BRONZE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF MONGOL... more FINDING OF HUMAN CRANIUM OF EUROPEOID TYPE FROM BURIAL OF EARLY BRONZE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF MONGOLIAN ALTAY

Вестник Томского государственного университета. История. № 68 , 2020

Обсуждаются концепции антропологической дифференциации морфологически промежуточного между европе... more Обсуждаются концепции антропологической дифференциации морфологически промежуточного между европеоидным и монголоидным расовыми стволами населения неолита юга Западной и Средней Сибири. Древние группы западносибирской лесостепи предлагается относить к особой протоазиатской формации и рассматривать отдельно от европеоидных популяций эпохи камня лесной полосы Восточной Европы. Исследуются краниологические материалы неолита юга Средней Сибири, определяются ареалы основных антропологических общностей неолитического населения центральных областей Евразии.
The Neolithic paleoanthropological materials from south of Western and Middle Siberia have been analysed. Description of the anthropological appearance of the Neolithic population can be based on several cranial series from cemeteries located in the forest-steppe areas between the Tobol-Ishim interfluve and the Kuznetsk Basin, as well as in the Krasnoyarsk and Kansk. According to the long-lasting study, this population was characterized by features of appearance intermediate between typical representatives of the Caucasian and Mongoloid racial types. Here, we discuss the concepts of anthropological differentiation of the Neolithic population in the south of Western and Central Siberia. Previous statistical analysis of the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Eneolithic craniological materials suggests the racial and genetic independence of the Neolithic population of the forest-steppe regions of Western Siberia. Its genesis should be considered separately from the Caucasian populations of the Stone Age of the Eastern European forest belt. According to the V.V. Bunak’s terminology, we attribute the ancient groups of the West Siberian forest-steppe to a special proto-Asian formation – the ancient variant of the West-Siberian race. Modern Ural-, Turkic- and Ket-speaking population of Western Siberia belongs to the West-Siberian race in its Ural, Ob-Irtysh and Yamal-Yenisei variants.
Additional materials craniofacial morphology from the Neolithic burials near Krasnoyarsk and in the lower Angara River have been analysed. Characteristics of the combined craniological series from the Krasnoyarsk-Kan forest-steppe are presented, the intergroup statistical comparison has been carried out using canonical analysis and clustering of the Mahalanobis-Rao’s generalised distances (D2) according to the Ward's method against the morphological background of male and female series of the Neolithic-Eneolithic skulls of Northern Asia. Analysis of new and previously published craniological materials clarified boundaries of the areas of the main Neolithic anthropological communities in the middle of Eurasia. The eastern part of the area of the southern Eurasian anthropological formation in the central Eurasia steppe and mountain-steppe regions identified by T.A. Chikisheva was limited to the territory of the Krasnoyarsk-Kan forest-steppe. The regions to the north and east were populated by the groups with anthropological features of the so-called "Palaeosiberian" type, inherent to the Neolithic population of Cis-Baikal and the Lower Angara River regions. As a perspective for further research, a study has been outlined to analyse possible racial-genetic links between the ancient populations belonging to the southern Eurasian anthropological formation with the morphologically similar brachycranial and low-faced forms of the Mesolithic-Neolithic of Eastern Siberia, in particular, defined as an ancient version of the Katanga anthropological type of the North Asian Mongoloid race.

Солодовников К.Н. Место населения неолита Алтая в популяционно-антропологической структуре Еврази... more Солодовников К.Н. Место населения неолита Алтая в популяционно-антропологической структуре Евразии // Евразийство: теоретический потенциал и практические приложения: материалы Десятой Всероссийской (с международным участием) научно-практической конференции. Барнаул: Изд-во Алт. ун-та. 2020. С. 84 – 88.

К.Н. Солодовников А.Н. Багашёв Ареалы антропологических общностей населения неолита юга Западной и Средней Сибири , 2020

Краткие материалы XVIII Международной Западносибирской археолого-этнографической конференции: «За... more Краткие материалы XVIII Международной Западносибирской археолого-этнографической конференции: «Западная Сибирь в транскультурном пространстве Северной Евразии: итоги и перспективы 50 лет исследований ЗСАЭК» (2020 г., Томск, Россия).

Выше гор? Как холод и горы изменили внешний облик населения Алтая периода энеолита – ранней бронзы, 2020

BURIAL OF THE KARAKOL BRONZE AGE CULTURE IN THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS IN THE MENDUR-SOKKON VILLAGE // ПОГРЕБЕНИЕ КАРАКОЛЬСКОЙ КУЛЬТУРЫ ЭПОХИ БРОНЗЫ ГОРНОГО АЛТАЯ В С. МЕНДУР-СОККОН (предварительные результаты археологического и палеоантропологического исследования), 2020

The paper presents the results of excavations of the emergency burial of the Karakol culture of t... more The paper presents the results of excavations of the emergency burial of the Karakol culture of the Bronze Age in the village of Mendur-Sokkon in the Altai Mountains. The features of the funeral rite, the design of the stone box are described. A unique vessel was found in the burial, ornamented over the entire surface with fir-tree ornaments. The sign of the Odal rune is depicted on the bottom of the vessel. The burial is dated to the end of 3rd – beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The craniological features of the local anthropological component of the composition of the early bronze cultures of southern Siberia with intermediate Caucasoid-Mongoloid racial features are clearly manifested on the skull of a woman from Mendur-Sokkon. One can argue about the great morphological similarity of the buried with individuals buried in the unified cultural burials of Ozernoye and Karakol in Central Altai. On a territorially wider scale, the skull of a woman from a burial in the village of Mendur-Sokkon resembles the craniological series of the Okunevo culture of the Minusinsk depression, which of all the cultural formations of the early bronze of southern and southern Western Siberia anthropologically is the most related to the Karakol one.
Представлены результаты аварийных раскопок частично разрушенного погребения каракольской культуры эпохи бронзы в с. Мендур-Соккон в Горном Алтае. Описываются особенности погребального обряда, конструкция каменного ящика, а также уникальный сосуд, вся поверхность которого покрыта елочным орнаментом, а на днище изображен знак, похожий на руны «Одал». Погребение датировано концом III – началом II тыс. до н.э. На черепе женщины из Мендур-Соккона отчетливо проявляются особенности местного антропологического компонента в составе населения Южной Сибири периода ранней бронзы, для которого характерны промежуточные европеоидно-монголоидные черты. Отмечается большое морфологическое сходство между черепами из разных могильников каракольской культуры. Череп женщины из погребения в селе Мендур-Соккон проявляет также сходство с краниологическими сериями окуневской культуры Минусинской котловины.

Вестник археологии, антропологии и этнографии. 2020. № 1 (48), 2020

Recent studies show that, in the 3rd millennium BC, the highlands in the basin of the upper reach... more Recent studies show that, in the 3rd millennium BC, the highlands in the basin of the upper reaches of the Khovd (Kobdo) River constituted a ritual zone, which was of particular importance for the population inhabiting the western foothills of the Mongolian Altai Mountains. Its cultural singularity was due to the so-called Chemurchek cultural phenomenon — a set of characteristics of West European origin, which appeared there no later than 2700–2600 BC. Three large-scale ritual complexes-‘shrines’ attributed to this period were discovered in the area of Lake Dayan Nuur. Excavations conducted by the expedition of A.A. Kovalev and Ch. Munkhbayar revealed that these structures constituted fences consisting of vertical stone slabs, decorated all-over on the outside with theimages of fantastic anthropomorphic creatures and animals. The excavation of Hulagash 1 (one of these sanctuaries),
radiocarbon dated to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, revealed a single grave in the centre of the structure, synchronous with the time when the complex was used. The grave belonged to a man of advanced
age, whose body was wrapped in a wide piece of cloth. The significance of this man being buried in the centre of the ritual site remains unclear. This person could have been sacrificed during construction or, conversely, he could have had a special status. Craniometrical measurement and dentological investigation of the scull from the
Chemurchek sanctuary Hulagash were conducted; its graphic reconstruction was performed. Its anthropological type shows a significant Mongoloid component. Intergroup comparison revealed its significant morphological differences from markedly Caucasoid groups, including the Afanasievo culture of South Siberia and Central Asia.
This excludes the morphogenetic continuity of the Chemurchek phenomenon from the antecedent Afanasievo population.
The individual from Hulagash bears the greatest anthropological similarity to the Neolithic-Eneolithic and Early Bronze Age populations of the Circumbaikal region (Serovo and Glazkovo cultures) and the Barnaul-Biysk Ob area (Itkul and Firsovo XI burial grounds dating back to the pre-Bronze Age; Early Bronze Age burial grounds of the Elunino culture). This is obviously a manifestation of a shared anthropological substrate, since the anthropological component of the Baikal type (which the population of the Elunino culture included) was recorded in the Neolithic-Eneolithic materials from the northern foothills of the Altai Mountains. Remarkable morphological similarities between the individual from Hulagash and the bearers of the Elunino archaeological culture reinforce the assumption that there is a cultural affinity between the Chemurchek and Elunino populations of the Early Bronze Age.
Key words: Early Bronze Age, Chemurchek cultural phenomenon, Elunino culture, Western Mongolia, paleoanthropology.
На чемурчекском ритуальном комплексе середины III тыс. до н.э. в Монгольском Алтае обнаружена могила с погребением мужчины старческого возраста. Череп его исследован по краниометрической и одонтологической программам, выполнена графическая реконструкция. Выявлены морфологические
особенности, сближающие погребенного с представителями популяций монголоидного расового ствола. Антропологическое сходство найденного на чемурчекском святилище индивида и носителей елунинской культуры подкрепляет мнение о наличии общности этих культурных образований.

Монография посвящена изучению популяционной структуры и особенностям физического облика древнего ... more Монография посвящена изучению популяционной структуры и особенностям физического облика древнего и современного коренного населения Северной Евразии. На основе обширных антропологических материалов, охватывающих исторический период в 6000 лет (с IV тыс. до н.э. по современность), рассматривается процесс формирования аборигенного населения этого региона. Показана роль миграций и автохтонного развития древних популяций, определены основные направления их родственных связей. Выявлена устойчивая тенденция в генезисе народов, заключающаяся в сохранении генетических фондов популяций из поколения в поколение. Антропологическое своеобразие ряда североазиатских популяций послужило основанием для построения новой таксономической системы, в которой выделен новый очаг формообразования в Евразийской промежуточной зоне. Только после изучения сложной мозаики составляющих компонентов антропологического типа народа с определением характера изменчивости антропологических признаков популяций в пространстве и во времени антропологические данные могут служить объективной основой для связи того или иного комплекса признаков с определенной древней группой людей либо с современной этнической общностью. Сложная комбинация антропологических комплексов обычно образует у каждой относительно изолированной общности специфическое сочетание, но именно это в той или иной мере отражает генезис народов и, следовательно, является важнейшим источником исторической информации. Конечно, антропологическое исследование не в состоянии охватить весь спектр истории народов в силу специфики самого источника, реконструкция этногенетических процессов на их базе возможна лишь в той мере, в какой они нашли отражение в палеоантропологических данных. Но ряд проблем может успешно решаться только при использовании антропологического материала, а вскрываемые антропологией грани этногенеза древнего и современного населения Северной Евразии внесут свой вклад в воссоздание его истории.

Монография посвящена результатам междисциплинарного изучения погребально-поминального комплекса э... more Монография посвящена результатам междисциплинарного изучения погребально-поминального комплекса эпохи ранней бронзы памятника Телеутский Взвоз-I (ХХII – ХХ вв. до н.э.), расположенного в Верхнем Приобье.