Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin
Anthropology
Bulletin
1) Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Department of Anthropology, Leninskie Gory, 1(12), Moscow, 119234, Russia; 2) Paleoethnology Research Center, Novaya ploshchad, 12-5, Moscow, 109012, Russia
Fedorchuk Olga A., Researcher, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9645-2014; lela.fed@yandex.ru.
Introduction. The differentiation of human populations is one of the main themes of anthropological research. The great importance of linear and angular dimensions when studying differences of the races has been shown in numerous studies. However, there are almost no works that are dedicated to the racial variability of the correlation structure of the skull. However, this problem is one of the main when researching the taxonomic significance of features. The main goal of our work is to study the correlation structures of skull features of Mongoloid and Caucasoid groups of populations. To do this, we calculated and compared the correlation coefficients of the studied features in these groups. Materials and methods. As the materials for this work 15 craniological series (9 Caucasoid, 6 Mongoloid) were used. The number of Caucasians skulls is 310, Mongoloids – 328. The series date back to the XVI-XX centuries. Data includes only male skulls. The material was measured according to the standard craniometric program: 9 parameters of the neurocranium and 8 dimensions of the facial part of the skull. Four additional features were measured as well. Statistical data processing was carried out in a standard way. Factor analysis was used to visualize the correlation structure of the skull. Results. Certain differences were obtained between the correlation structure of the Mongoloids and Caucasian skulls. Most of the obtained correlation coefficients were lower for the Mongoloid group compared to the Caucasian. We detect 18% of significant differences from the total values obtained. The greatest differences in the correlation structure were found out for the cerebral part of the skull and for correlations of the sizes of the facial and the cerebral part of the skull. The correlation of the height features of the neurocranium and breadth features of the vault notably stand out on the background of others. For Mongoloids height sizes vary practically independent of other skull features. For Caucasian, they have a weak or moderate relationship with other dimensions of the skull. Conclusion. Thus, we show that for Caucasians the dimensions of the neurocranium are interrelated stronger than for Mongoloids. Perhaps, this is the effect of specific microevolution processes, which are different for the two studied groups. In the current phase our research is still within the limit of hypothesis, at least until corresponding patterns of relationship for the Equatorial group are studied.
physical anthropology; craniology; biological correlation; relative and correlative variability
DOI: 10.32521/2074-8132.2021.1.109-124
Цит.: Fedorchuk O.A. Comparative analysis of the correlation structure of the measuring skull features of the Mongoloid and Caucasian races // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2021; 1/2021; с. 109-124
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