Tuvan Physical Anthropology: History and Development Prospects. Part One

Abstract

Introduction. The history of Tuva’s anthropological study dates back almost a century, and interest in this region never faded to date. In this regard, there is a need to summarize all related research publications, clarify the periodization of stages in the study of Tuvan physical anthropology. Goals. The work primarily aims to summarize all collected data on anthropological appearances of Tuvans and identify problem areas in this topic, as well as prospects for further research. Part One shall introduce a step-by-step history of the study of Tuvan physical anthropology, with due regard of the development of biological anthropology in Russia. Results. The paper provides a detailed analysis of ethnic anthropology results comprising head, face and physique measurements and descriptive data, dental and dermatoglyphic parameters. Data from a number of anthropological systems make it possible to determine the place of Tuvans among Siberian Mongoloids, delineate some local variants within the population of Tuva. Conclusions. Despite there is a most detailed anthropological description of Tuvans, some aspects of their intra-group differentiation remain unresolved — especially taking into account the existing tribal subdivision — just like the case with the formation of Tuvan anthropological appearances during the medieval era and modern times, which sets new vectors for further research of Tuva’s population.

Keywords

• ethnic anthropology
• racial studies
• history of science
• head and face morphology
• odontology
• dermatoglyphics
• tuva
• tuvans