Anthropological description of an extraordinary skull from the village of Thin (Abkhazia)

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2020-52-4/224-231

Authors

  • Elizaveta V. Veselovskaya Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, RAS
  • Olga M. Grigorieva Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, RAS
  • Igor D. Burtsev independent researcher

Keywords:

anthropological reconstruction, appearance, skull from the village of Thina, Abkhazia

Abstract

This work is devoted to the study of a very unusual skull from the village of Thina, Abkhazia. The skull has the lower jaw, is very large and rather robust with pronounced relief. The metric traits of this skull and its external appearance were studied based on graphic and sculptural reconstructions made from it. It is concluded that this individual belongs to the modern human species Homo sapiens, one of its Equatorial variants. The unusual appearance of the skull might be explained by heterosis caused by possible miscegenation in this individual’s ancestors.

References

  1. Alekseev V.P., and G.F Debets. 1964. Metodika antropologicheskikh issledovanii. [Craniometry. Methods of anthropological research]. Moscow: Nauka.
  2. Burtsev I.D., and M.A. Kolodieva. 1987. Rezul'taty predvaritel'nogo issledovaniia cherepa iz s. Tkhina, Abkhazskoi ASSR. [Results of a preliminary study of a skull from the village of Thin, Abkhazian ASSR]. Doklady MOIP, 1985. Obshchaia biologiia [Reports of MOIP, 1985. General biology], 21–23. Moscow: Nauka.
  3. Veselovskaia E.V. 2018. "Algoritm vneshnosti' – kompleksnaia programma antropologicheskoi rekonstruktsii ["Algorithm of appearance" – a comprehensive program of anthropological reconstruction]. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. XXIII. Antropologiia 2: 38–54.

 

Author Biography

  • Igor D. Burtsev, independent researcher

    PhD in Hist., Institute of Oriental Studies of the RAS

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Published

02.02.2021

Issue

Section

Physical anthropology