Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
M. Akmullah Bashkir State Pedagogical University, Ufa, Bashkortostan
Kufterin Vladimir V., Ph.D., ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7171-8998, e-mail: vladimirkufterin@mail.ru
Introduction. The sample is the first data representing close to modern times population of Central Tajikistan. It was obtained during excavations in the construction zone of Rogun Hydroelectric Power Station (110 km to the East from Dushanbe). Cemetery by the opinion of the chief of the expedition Tatyana Filimonova dates back to XVIII–XIX cc. AD. Burial rites in all tombs were Muslim. This study make fills up a «gaps» in our knowledge of craniology of modern population of Central Asia. Materials and methods. Skulls from 15 burials (7 males and 8 females) were examined. Sex determination was carried out using predominantly the pelvic bones morphology. Age at death of the buried was being estimated using degree of cranial suture closure and dental wear of permanent teeth. The skulls were measured according to the Martin’s craniometrical system. Descriptive statistics calculation and normality test were performed as a first step in statistical analysis of the data. This was followed by intergroup analyses carried out using Cluster analysis, PCA and Canonical Discriminant analysis (CVA). Results and discussion. The sample as a whole can be described as typical Caucasoids. This applies especially to the female sample. Dolichocranial or mesocranial male skulls remind to some extent representatives of the «Mediterranean» type while female skulls seem to be closer to so-called «Central Asian interfluvial» type. We didn’t find apparent traces of Mongoloid admixture among the studied skulls. Coefficients of sexual dimorphism in some cases exceed «standard2 ones, but small sample size does not allow us to make reliable conclusions about morphological differences between males and females of the sample. To increase sample size we «convert» female values of craniometrc dimensions to «male» ones using average sexual dimorphism coefficients for those dimensions [Alexeev, Debets, 1964] and then pooled both sexes for further analysis. The combined sample was compared with 25 Medieval to Modern Time Central Asian series. CVA demonstrated similarity of the sample to most of craniological series from the central and southern parts of the Central Asian interfluve. Conclusion. 1. Investigated material shows that people buried on the Rogun cemetery were mostly Caucasoids. 2. Elements typical for “Mediterranean” and for “Central Asian interfluve” anthropological types can distinguish in Rogun cranio-series. 3. Different multivariate statistics for intergroup analysis showed similarity of the sample to synchronous and chronologically earlier samples from the area of Central Asian interfluve as well as with some Early Medieval series (Old Termez, Kahkaha).
physical anthropology, craniometry, Central Asia, Tajikistan, population close to modern times
Цит.: Kufterin V.V. Craniometric study on XVIII–XIX cc. AD sample from Central Tajikistan // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2015; 2/2015; с. 82-94
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