A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral Region

Introduction. The origin of the Jetyasar culture’s population remains a subject of debate. It was generally accepted that the Xiongnu penetrated into the Aral Sea region and participated in the formation of the local population. Previous studies have shown a complex and admixed origin of th...

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Main Authors: Maria Mednikova, Andrey Evteev, Olga Chechyotkina, Kristina Petrova, German Manríquez, Anna Tarasova
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: Volgograd State University 2023-08-01
Series:Вестник Волгоградского государственного университета. Серия 4. История, регионоведение, международные отношения
Online Access:https://hfrir.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/component/attachments/download/3167
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author Maria Mednikova
Andrey Evteev
Olga Chechyotkina
Kristina Petrova
German Manríquez
Anna Tarasova
author_facet Maria Mednikova
Andrey Evteev
Olga Chechyotkina
Kristina Petrova
German Manríquez
Anna Tarasova
author_sort Maria Mednikova
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. The origin of the Jetyasar culture’s population remains a subject of debate. It was generally accepted that the Xiongnu penetrated into the Aral Sea region and participated in the formation of the local population. Previous studies have shown a complex and admixed origin of the Jetyasar people. But the spread of the head deformation tradition in this population imposes serious limitations on the application of craniometric methods for studying Jetyasar samples. Those limitations can be potentially mitigated with the use of geometric morphometrics (GM). The purpose of this work was to assess the degree of variation in the facial skeleton of the Jetyasar people in comparison with populations of the Early Iron Age and the Hunno-Sarmatian period. Material and methods. Digital, three-dimensional models of the skulls were created. Ten landmarks were placed on each of the models and subjected to general Procrustes analysis (GPA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Results. The first PC of the analysis of the total male sample reflects variation in the height of the face, nasal bridge protrusion, and the relative width of the infraorbital region. The second component describes the height of the lateral part of the zygomatic process of the maxilla and the adjacent part of the zygomatic bone. The Kosasar 2 male sample is the most diverse morphologically. This burial ground, according to archeological data, belonged to a migrant population related to the Xiongnu. In the female total sample, high values of the first PC are associated with a tall face, a weak nasal bridge protrusion, and a long zygomatic-maxillary suture. The second PC describes the morphology of the zygomatic process of the upper jaw. The Jetyasar samples are morphologically distinct from the skulls from China, Mongolia, Western Siberia, and Southern Siberia. An exception are the crania from the burial grounds of Kosasar 2, 3, and Altyn-Asar 4t which are similar to the early Iron Age samples from China (inner Mongolia, Warring States period, 5 th – 3rd centuries BC), Mongolia (Xiongnu period), and Tuva (Arzhan-2). Discussion. The Xiongnu migration could become a catalyst for the admixture and ethnogenetic processes in the region. Conclusion. Our study shows that the population of the Jetyasar culture was morphologically heterogeneous at all stages of the culture’s development. The hypothesis about the migrant roots of a part of the population is confirmed by our data.
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spelling doaj.art-aa48908bc4dd4376b2108c6dffd30a612024-03-22T05:31:36ZrusVolgograd State UniversityВестник Волгоградского государственного университета. Серия 4. История, регионоведение, международные отношения1998-99382023-08-014729310.15688/jvolsu4.2023.4.6A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral RegionMaria Mednikovahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1918-2161Andrey Evteevhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6254-1203Olga Chechyotkinahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4880-1080Kristina Petrovahttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3151-4269German Manríquezhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3376-8804Anna Tarasovahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5469-2629 Introduction. The origin of the Jetyasar culture’s population remains a subject of debate. It was generally accepted that the Xiongnu penetrated into the Aral Sea region and participated in the formation of the local population. Previous studies have shown a complex and admixed origin of the Jetyasar people. But the spread of the head deformation tradition in this population imposes serious limitations on the application of craniometric methods for studying Jetyasar samples. Those limitations can be potentially mitigated with the use of geometric morphometrics (GM). The purpose of this work was to assess the degree of variation in the facial skeleton of the Jetyasar people in comparison with populations of the Early Iron Age and the Hunno-Sarmatian period. Material and methods. Digital, three-dimensional models of the skulls were created. Ten landmarks were placed on each of the models and subjected to general Procrustes analysis (GPA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Results. The first PC of the analysis of the total male sample reflects variation in the height of the face, nasal bridge protrusion, and the relative width of the infraorbital region. The second component describes the height of the lateral part of the zygomatic process of the maxilla and the adjacent part of the zygomatic bone. The Kosasar 2 male sample is the most diverse morphologically. This burial ground, according to archeological data, belonged to a migrant population related to the Xiongnu. In the female total sample, high values of the first PC are associated with a tall face, a weak nasal bridge protrusion, and a long zygomatic-maxillary suture. The second PC describes the morphology of the zygomatic process of the upper jaw. The Jetyasar samples are morphologically distinct from the skulls from China, Mongolia, Western Siberia, and Southern Siberia. An exception are the crania from the burial grounds of Kosasar 2, 3, and Altyn-Asar 4t which are similar to the early Iron Age samples from China (inner Mongolia, Warring States period, 5 th – 3rd centuries BC), Mongolia (Xiongnu period), and Tuva (Arzhan-2). Discussion. The Xiongnu migration could become a catalyst for the admixture and ethnogenetic processes in the region. Conclusion. Our study shows that the population of the Jetyasar culture was morphologically heterogeneous at all stages of the culture’s development. The hypothesis about the migrant roots of a part of the population is confirmed by our data.https://hfrir.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/component/attachments/download/3167
spellingShingle Maria Mednikova
Andrey Evteev
Olga Chechyotkina
Kristina Petrova
German Manríquez
Anna Tarasova
A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral Region
Вестник Волгоградского государственного университета. Серия 4. История, регионоведение, международные отношения
title A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral Region
title_full A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral Region
title_fullStr A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral Region
title_full_unstemmed A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral Region
title_short A Geometric Morphometric Study of the Facial Skeleton Variation in the Jetyasar Archaeological Culture Population of the Eastern Aral Region
title_sort geometric morphometric study of the facial skeleton variation in the jetyasar archaeological culture population of the eastern aral region
url https://hfrir.jvolsu.com/index.php/en/component/attachments/download/3167
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