Craniological series obtained from the Ust-Ishim burial grounds allowed us to characterize the anthropological appearance of the medieval population of the southern taiga zone of the Middle Irtysh region. Judging by indirect data, in the V-XIII centuries there lived tribes similar to the low-faced Mongoloids, whose presence can be traced in the composition of the population of the forest-steppe of Western Siberia in the Early Iron Age. In addition to the predominant West Siberian anthropological layer, a very small Mongoloid admixture of the South Siberian appearance is recorded. However, in general, the Ust-Ishim population can be correlated with the Tobol-Irtysh group of populations of the Ob-Irtysh anthropological type of the West Siberian race. Among the modern ethnic groups, the Tobol-Irtysh Tatars are closest to the Ust'ishimtsy, so the role of the Middle-century population in their racial genesis is indisputable.

Keywords: Western Siberia, Middle Irtysh region, Middle Ages, Ust-Ishim archaeological culture, anthropological type, racial-genetic processes.

Introduction

The problem of studying the anthropological composition of the population of Western Siberia during the Middle Ages is a key one for understanding the genesis of modern ethnic groups in this region. It was then that the formation of the anthropological image of groups correlated with certain ethnolinguistic communities took place. Paleoanthropological studies are also important for solving general questions about the history of ethnocultural formations, especially those whose source of information is mainly archaeological data. The study of new paleoanthropological sources from the southern taiga part of the Irtysh region will allow us not only to outline the direction of racial and genetic relations of the ancient population, but also to determine the degree of participation of medieval populations in the formation of the physical appearance of modern Turkic-speaking groups in the Middle Irtysh region.

Monuments of the Ust-Ishim culture of the IX-XIII centuries are found on a fairly large territory-from Omsk to Tobolsk and from the middle course of the Ishim to the watershed of the Irtysh and Ob, i.e. in the forest-steppe, subtaiga and southern taiga parts of the Irtysh region. However, only materials from burial grounds in the southern taiga and subtaiga were available for paleoanthropological research (Fig. According to archaeological data, in the early and advanced Middle Ages, Potchevash and then Ust-Ishim tribes lived here, and the connection between them is noted by many researchers (Konikov, 2007; Mogilnikov, 1987). To date, there are several points of view in archaeological science about the cultural and genetic processes that took place in this territory at that time. Researchers will note-

This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project N 10 - 06 - 00045-A).

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Fig. 1. Location of monuments, the anthropological material from which is involved in the analysis. 1-ancient settlement, 2 - 8-burial grounds. 1-Dolgovskoye; 2-Masarli-1; 3-Nugay-1; 4-Malaya Bicha; 5-Malaya Tebendya; 6-Panovo-1; 7-Kip-1; 8-Ivanov Mys-1.

The Potchevash and the Ust-Ishim antiquities that succeeded them seem to be somewhat similar to the Sargat, Bogochanov, and Kulai cultures of the Early Iron Age (Konikov, 2007). Different points of view are expressed regarding the ethnicity of the Potchevash and Ust-Ishim tribes. Some researchers refer them to the Ugrians (Chernetsov, 1957), others to the Samoyeds (Gening, 1972), and others speak of a complex Ugric - Samoyedic composition (Mogilnikov, 1987). A number of scientists defend the idea of the southern Khanty belonging to these tribes, suggesting that the southern Khanty migrated to the Irtysh region in the Middle Ages (Molodin, 2005; Konikov, 2007). In addition, in the Potchevash and Ust-Ishim cultures, the Komi-Zyryan and Old Russian components are distinguished, which are associated exclusively with trade and exchange contacts between the Irtysh population and the Ural and Volga regions (Konikov, 2007). Turbulent political events in Central Asia and Southern Siberia in the Middle Ages were accompanied by Turkic invasions of neighboring regions, including the territory of the Middle Irtysh region (Savinov, 1984). Therefore, the role of the Turkic-speaking population in the ethnogenesis of the Potchevash and Ust-Ishim tribes is still debatable (Mogilnikov, 1981; Konikov, 2007).

Material

In 1988, A. N. Bagashev published data on 17 male and 5 female skulls from the Ust'ishimsk burial grounds Malaya Bicha, Malaya Tebendya, and Kip-1 [1988]. The author described the anthropological type of the sample, determined the relations with the modern peoples of Western Siberia, and outlined the direction of racial-genetic relations. Currently, the paleoanthropological sources from the area under consideration have been significantly expanded, and therefore their rearrangement and analysis at the population level were required. These are mainly small series of burial mounds Ivanov Mys-1, Panovo-1 (excavations by B. A. Konikov), Masarly-1, Nugay-1 and the Dolgovsky settlement-1 (excavations by A. A. Adamov). A series of Ust-Ishim burial grounds of the IX-XIII centuries consisted of 46 male and 22 female skulls. Due to poor preservation, craniological materials from the Malaya Tebendya burial ground and from the Dolgov settlement were not taken into account when studying the Ust-Ishim population at the group level, but they were included in the combined sample when conducting an intragroup study.

Morphological features of the population of the Southern taiga Irtysh region

Despite the relatively small number of skull series, which may explain the increased intergroup variability, the available data allow us to characterize the physical appearance of a number of Ust-Ishim groups. The peculiarity of the male sample from Panova-1 is determined by the following characteristics: subdolichocrania, very high skull, high and medium-wide face, average size

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Table 1. Average sizes and indexes of male skulls from burial grounds of the Ust-Ishim culture

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profiling of the face and bridge of the nose in combination with a small angle of protrusion of the nasal bones. The skulls of men buried in the Nugai-1 burial ground are characterized by subbrachicrania, a medium-high skull, face and nose, average latitudinal dimensions of the skull, face, orbits and nose, mesoprosopia, a flattened face at the upper level and a medium-high bridge of the nose in combination with a small angle of protrusion of the nasal bones. The male sample from the Masarli-1 burial ground is characterized by brachycrania, a high arch, but at the same time low face and orbits, large latitudinal dimensions of the face and skull, euryprosopia, a profiled bridge of the nose, a narrow nose, and an average angle of protrusion of the nasal bones; the latter signs are not combined with a flat horizontal facial skeleton. The skulls of men from Malaya Bichi have a mesocrane shape, a small arch height, a medium-profiled facial skeleton, and average height and latitudinal dimensions of the orbits and nose. The nose bridge at the simotic level is low and narrow, and at the dacrial level it is of medium size, moderately profiled, and the angle of protrusion of the nasal bones is small. The distinctive morphological type of the male sample from Kipa-1 is determined by the following features: a low subdolichocranial skull, wide and low, moderately profiled face and nose bridge, and a small angle of protrusion of the nasal bones. The skulls of men buried in the Ivanov Mys-1 burial ground are characterized by subbrachicrania, a very small high-altitude diameter, and a broad, medium-high flattened face. The medium-high bridge of the nose is moderately profiled, the angle of protrusion of the nasal bones is small (Table 1).

Female skulls, taking into account sexual dimorphism, have a number of differences in some sizes and proportions. The difference in the morphological structure of the skulls of men and women is most pronounced in the materials from Kipa-1. Thus, the female sample from this burial ground is distinguished by its dolichocranial shape and average height. All the latitudinal dimensions of the face are smaller than those of men, and the height dimensions are larger. This goes well with the profiled face, nose bridge, and mid-angle protrusion of the nasal bones. The female sample from Panova-1 is characterized by mesocrania, small latitudinal and longitudinal diameters, and an average arch height. The wider and lower face is slightly profiled in the horizontal plane, as is the bridge of the nose. Female skulls from the Nugai-1 burial ground are wider than male skulls and are more brachycrane in shape; the latitudinal dimensions of the face and nose are relatively larger, and the nose bridge is much less profiled (Table 2).

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Table 2. Average sizes and indexes of female skulls from burial grounds of the Ust-Ishim culture

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However, the male and female skulls of the combined series are generally similar in their morphological characteristics. The first - mesocrane form, the second - mesosubbrachicrane. The brain capsule is of medium width and height, the length of female skulls is small, and that of male skulls is medium. The mesoprosopal face is medium-high and broad at all levels, the facial skeleton is flattened at the upper level, and more profiled at the middle level. The orbit is broad, low in male skulls, and medium-high in female skulls. The nose is mesorinous in proportion, of medium height and width. The mid-profiled nose bridge is narrow and medium-high at the simotic level, and medium-sized at the dacrial level, while the angle of protrusion of the nasal bones is small (see Tables 1, 2).

Judging by the noted morphological features, the groups under consideration occupy an intermediate position between Caucasians and Mongoloids, and this is also indicated by indicators of flatness of the facial skeleton (ULS) and preauricular facial-cerebral indicators (PFC) [Debets, 1968]. However, the extreme variants of the conditional share of the mongoloid element (UDME) in the samples differ significantly. Male skulls from Panova-1 are the most Caucasian in structure due to the strong facial profile, but the modulus of the bridge of the nose and the angle of protrusion of the nasal bones are not the largest. According to the ULS, the Nugai series is very close to the Panov series due to the degree of face profiling and the modulus of nose profiling, but according to the PFC, it is slightly more Mongoloid than the sample from the Masarli-1 burial ground. The Malaya Bicha and Kip-1 series are similar in all respects and occupy almost the same position in relation to the most Mongoloid sample from the Ivanov Mys-1 monument (Table 3). Thus, male skulls from the Malaya Bicha, Kip-1 and Ivanov Mys-1 burial grounds are close to the Mongoloids of Western Siberia, and the same number of skulls from the Ivanov Mys-1 burial site is almost equal. The Panov, Nugai, and Masarlyk samples are more Caucasian (Dremov, 1998a). The difference in the structure of female and male skulls caused the female samples from the Panovo-1 and Nugai-1 burial grounds to gravitate towards the Mongoloid variant. In the series from Kipa-1, the opposite situation is recorded. Male and female skulls of the combined Ust-Ishim sample occupy a similar position in all indicators between the Caucasoid and Mongoloid variants (Table 3). However, the degree of flatness of the facial skeleton is average, and the preauricular facio-cerebral index has small values characteristic of the Mongoloids of Western Siberia [Ibid.].

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Indicators of facial skeletal flatness Table 3. (UL S), preauricular faciocerebral pointers (PFC), conditional fraction of the mongoloid element (UDME) [Debets, 1968], and modulus of the nose bridge profile in degrees (MPP) [Gokhman, 1980] of the Ust-Ishim samples

Group

ULS

PFC

UDME

MPP

♂

♀

♂

♀

♂

♀

♂

♀

Panovo-1

49,1

68,9

90,8

91,8

33,7

61,6

89,1

94,2

Nougat-1

59,0

63,8

91,1

94,8

46,5

71,2

87,2

103,0

Masarly-1

69,6

-

90,3

-

54,6

-

87,2

-

Malaya Bicha

71,2

-

92,0

-

65,0

-

89,6

-

Kip-1

70,1

44,6

93,0

90,2

68,8

25,7

87,2

90,8

Ivanov Mys-1

62,3

-

95,4

-

72,5

-

93,1

-

Team series from the southern taiga Irtysh region of the IX-XIII centuries.

64,7

60,9

92,2

93,0

58,8

58,7

89,6

92,7

Mesocrane morphotype

52,4

-

93,7

-

52,6

-

88,4

-

Brachycranial morphotype

77,9

-

93,5

-

80,7

-

86,2

-

The revealed differences in the morphology of skulls from the Ust-Ishim burial grounds made it necessary to analyze the variability at the micropopulation level. The results showed that the samples are differentiated mainly by the size of the brain box, the width of the face, orbit, and bridge of the nose, and their clustering clearly demonstrates the greatest closeness of the series from the burial grounds Ivanov Mys-1, Kip-1, and Malaya Bicha, which form the core of the entire Ust-Ishim sample (Fig. 2). The remaining groups represent the extreme regions variants of variability of carriers of the Ust-Ishim culture according to these indicators.

2. Results of clustering of Ust-Ishim groups based on Mahalanobis distances.

Intra-group analysis

The recorded differences in the morphology of the Ust-Ishim skulls indicate the heterogeneity of the anthropological structure of the paleopopulation as a whole and, possibly, its complex composition. To determine the nature of intra-group variability and distinguish certain morphological types, individual data from male skulls were analyzed using the principal component analysis (GC) method. Skulls are differentiated by the length, width, and height of the braincase and face, the width of the bridge of the nose, and the degree of flatness of the facial skeleton (Table 4). The extreme variants are characterized by a relatively long and high brain capsule, a high profiled face (factor 1), and a wide face, an orbit, and a narrow bridge (factor 2).

According to the degree of internal morphological similarity in the analyzed population, two groups are distinguished (Figure 3). The first group includes mesocrane skulls with a mesomorphic face, and the second group includes brachycranial skulls with a eurimorphic facial skeleton (Table 5). Both groups, despite a number of morphological differences, generally occupy an intermediate position between Europoid and Mongoloid variants (see Table 3). Three skulls were located separately and at a sufficient distance from each other. In their structure, a disharmonious combination of features is observed: the conditional proportion of the Mongoloid element and other indicators are characteristic of" pure Caucasoids", and a wide and low nose bridge combined with a small angle of protrusion of the nasal bones are characteristic of Mongoloid forms. Comparison made with

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See Table 4. Values of factor loadings

Flag (Martin number)

Individual data

Ancient and medieval groups

Populations close to modern times

I Civil Code

II Civil Code

I KV

II KV

I KV

II KV

1. Longitudinal diameter

0,8176

0,2329

0,2186

0,1558

0,0923

0,0115

8. Cross diameter

-0,4840

0,3159

0,3174

-0,4052

0,2281

0,3361

17. Height diameter

0,6490

0,1933

0,2717

0,3712

-0,3423

0,6598

9. The smallest width of the forehead

0,3044

0,4076

-1,1927

-0,0857

-0,2256

-0,2363

45. Zygomatic diameter

-0,1184

0,7021

0,1044

0,0206

0,0070

-0,2610

48. Upper face height

0,6483

-0,2767

0,4979

-0,2989

0,5967

0,2649

72. General face angle

-

-

0,1444

-0,1187

0,0227

0,1497

51. Orbit width from mf

0,3223

0,7966

-0,0725

0,4155

-0,2693

0,0494

52. Orbit height

0,3873

0,4385

-0,1789

-0,0185

0,2530

-0,2697

54. Nose width

-

-

0,1848

0,0726

-0,1193

-0,0944

55. Nose height

-

-

0,2011

0,3760

0,0429

-0,1458

SC. Simotic width

0,1238

-0,6410

-

-

-

-

SS. Simotic height

-0,2805

-0,5361

-0,0778

-0,0891

-0,1033

0,3016

DC. Dacrial width

-

-

-0,2691

0,0426

-0,1909

0,0034

DS. Dacrial height

0,4975

-0,0897

0,0805

-0,0295

-0,2461

0,0952

75 (1). Nose protrusion angle

-0,0598

0,0647

0,3190

-0,2376

0,3787

0,1707

77. Nasomalar angle

-0,8376

-0,0745

0,3254

0,3965

0,0496

0,0131

∠zm'. Zygomaxillary angle

-0,4518

0,5029

0,2375

0,1367

-0,0930

-0,0180

Proper number

3,3557

2,7229

9,0930

7,7972

18,1191

17,6730

Share of variability, %

24,0

19,5

20,8

17,8

22,9

22,4

3. Relative positions of male skulls from burial grounds of the Ust-Ishim culture in the space of I and II main components. 1-Ivanov Mys-1, mound 10, border 1; 2-Kip-1, mound 12, border 2; 3-Kip-1, mound 18, border 2; 4-Malaya Bicha, mound 1, border 2; 5-Ivanov Mys-1; 6-Panovo-1, mound 15, border 2; 7-Kip-1, mound 25, border 2; 8-Ivanov Mys-1, mound 11, border 2; 9-Kip-1, mound 9, border 1; 10-Ivanov mys-1, mound 1, border 1; 11-Masarli-1, mound 3, border 8; 12-Nugay-1, mound 1, border 2; 13-Masarli-1, mound 3, border 8b; 14-Kip-1; 15-Panovo-1, north-eastern sector (ch. - 141); 16-Dolgovskoye settlement-1; 17-Kip-1, mound 18, border 3.

a wide range of sources on ancient and modern populations of Northern Eurasia has shown that this group of skulls has no historical analogues. The dendrogram constructed based on the results of factor analysis of individual data of male skulls from Ust-Ishim burial grounds clearly demonstrates the degree of their proximity and the reality of morphological complexes (Fig.

Comparison of the eurimorphic brachycranial morphotype with the ancient and modern groups of Northern Eurasia has shown that it tends to the medieval and modern representatives of the Tomsk-Narym groups.

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See Table 5. Craniometric characteristics of morphological types identified in the IX-XIII century men's national team from the Southern taiga Irtysh region

populations, including those with South Siberian admixture. The analogies found for the mesocrane component indicate the multidirectional nature of its connections, respectively, and its heterogeneity. There is a similarity with most modern populations of the Ob-Irtysh type (except for Barabintsy) and medieval groups that have its admixture. A special affinity with the Tobolsk-Irtysh Tatars is revealed. Another direction of relations is with some modern groups of the South Siberian type and mestizo populations with a significant admixture of it (Khakas-Kyzyl, northern Shors, and some groups of Bashkirs). This component is close to the medieval population of the taiga part of Western Siberia, whose anthropological type is characterized by features of the West Siberian race (Bagashev, 2001, 2003; Chikisheva and Kim, 1988; Bagashev and Poshekhonova, 2007). It should be noted that the mesocrane morphotype prevails in the structure of the population that left the Ivanov Mys-1 burial ground, while the brachycrane morphotype prevails in Kip - 1.

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Cross-group analysis

The features of variability of some ancient and medieval groups, the Ust-Ishim sample, and morphotypes were studied using canonical analysis. The following ancient and medieval series were used for inter-group comparison:

1. Kamenny Mys, Early Iron Age, Novosibirsk variant of the Kulai culture (Bagashev, 2000);

2. Mongoloid low-faced dolichocrane component identified in materials of the West Siberian forest-steppe of the Early Iron Age [Ibid.];

3. Low-face mongoloid component identified in the same materials [Ibid.];

4. The Mongoloid high-face component identified in the same materials [Ibid.];

5. Surgut Ob region, Saigatinsky burial grounds (VI-XV centuries AD) [Bagashev, Poshekhonova, 2007];

6. Narym Ob region, Aldygan burial ground (XI-XIII centuries AD) [Bagashev, 2001];

7. Narym Ob region, Tiskino burial ground, early group (XII-XIV centuries AD) [Ibid.];

8. Narym Ob region, Tiskino burial ground, middle group (XV-XVII centuries AD) [Ibid.];

9. Nizhniye Pritomye, Astrakhantsevo burial ground (XIII-XIV centuries AD) [Bagashev, 2003];

10. Middle Ob region, Relkin culture, Molchanovo burial ground (VI-VIII centuries AD) [Dremov, 1967];

11. Lower Pritomye, Basandayka burial ground (IX-XIV centuries AD) [Chikisheva and Kim, 1988];

12. Novosibirsk Priobye, Fominsk stage of the Bolsherechenskaya culture (VII-VIII centuries AD) [Dremov, 1967];

13. Forest-steppe Priirtyshye, Srostkin culture (late I-early II millennium AD) [Bagashev, 1988];

14. Forest-steppe Priirtyshye (XIV-XVI centuries AD) [Ibid.];

15. Novosibirsk Ob region, Basandai culture, Tashara-Quarry-2 burial ground (XI-XIII centuries AD) [Pozdnyakov, 2008];

16. Novosibirsk Ob region, Basandai culture, Sanatorium-1 burial ground (XI-XIII centuries AD) [Ibid.];

17. Minusinsk basin, "Yenisei Kyrgyz" (VII-XI centuries AD) [Alekseev, 1963];

18. Gorny Altai (VI-X centuries AD) [Alekseev, 1958];

19. Foothill Altai, Biya variant of the Srostkin culture (VII-X centuries AD) [Debets, 1948; Alekseev, 1958];

20. Kuznetsk basin, Kemerovo variant of the Srostkin culture, Ur-Bedari burial ground (VIII-X centuries AD) (Alekseev, 1974);

21. Steppe region of North-Western Altai, Srostkin culture, Gilevo burial ground (VIII-X centuries AD) [Chikisheva and Kim, 1988];

22. Barnaul-Kamensky district of the Upper Ob region, Barnaul-Kamensky variant of the Srostkin culture (VIII-X centuries AD) [Ibid.];

23. Barabinsk forest-steppe, Srostkin culture (IX-X centuries AD) [Ibid.];

24. Northern Bashkiria (IX-X centuries AD) [Akimova, 1968];

25. Kustanayskoe Pritobolye, Kimaki (VIII-X centuries AD) [Ginzburg, 1963];

26. Pavlodar Irtysh region, Kimako-kipchaks (VII-XII centuries AD) [Ismagulov, 1970];

27. East Kazakhstan Irtysh region, kimakokypchaks (VIII-XII centuries AD) [Ibid.].

On the graph, the groups of the analyzed population are located in two large clusters, which are differentiated by the specific weight of the Mongoloid component in their composition: 1) with a relatively wider skull, a high and wide profiled face, a narrow bridge and a protruding nose; 2) with a narrower skull, a low, narrow and flattened face, a wide bridge and a less protruding nose (see Table 4, Fig. 5). Differentiates groups and the factor of the presence or absence of a Caucasian admixture. It is interesting to note that clusters, with some exceptions, are geographically confined. Groups with a low-faced West Siberian Mongoloid component tend to belong to the subtaiga and taiga zone of Western Siberia, while those with a Caucasian component and an admixture of Central Asian origin tend to belong to the steppe and forest-steppe of Western and Southern Siberia.

Fig. 4. Results of clustering of male skulls from burial grounds of the Ust-Ishim culture.

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Figure 5. Location of the Early Iron Age and Medieval male series in the space of canonical vectors I and II (group numbers according to the list in the text).

Early Iron Age series from the forest-steppe regions of Western Siberia are located in the graph field in such a way that it is possible to confidently judge the degree of participation of the Mongoloid part of the Sargat and other cultures of this time in the genesis of medieval tribes. The localization of the samples indicates that the low-face and dolichocrane Mongoloid components are related to medieval West Siberian Mongoloids, including Ust'ishimtsy. It is interesting that the sample from the Kamenny Mys burial ground, which belongs to the Novosibirsk variant of the Kulai culture (Troitskaya, 1979), is located almost in the center of the cluster of West Siberian series. It is in this region that the largest share of the low-faced Mongoloid component is noted (Bagashev, 2000). The high-faced Mongoloid component of the Early Iron Age is located in a cluster of medieval groups with an admixture of South Siberian and Central Asian elements. It is noted that the influx of migrants of Central Asian appearance to the territory of Western Siberia occurred with different intensity both in the Bronze Age and in previous periods, influencing permanently in the diachronic aspect on the formation of the anthropological appearance of the population of the Early Iron Age [Ibid.].

The location of medieval groups within the boundaries of variability characteristic of West Siberian low-faced Mongoloids shows how much this component prevails in their anthropological structure. Samples from the Saigatinsky (middle taiga, Ob region), Tiskino, and Aldygan (southern taiga, Ob region) burial grounds, correlated with Ugrians and Samoyeds, respectively, are located on the periphery of the cluster, representing extreme variations in the variability of the West Siberian groups (Bagashev, 2003; Bagashev and Poshekhonova, 2007). Series from Basandaika, Astrakhantsevo burial grounds (subtaiga, Pritomye) and Molchanovo (subtaiga, Ob region) have a more complex composition. There are at least two morphological types in their anthropological structure: one with a high specific weight is associated with the low-faced West Siberian Mongoloids, and the other with the Turkic-speaking peoples of Southern Siberia (Chikisheva and Kim, 1988; Bagashev, 2003; Dremov, 1967). These samples, which are correlated with modern representatives of the Tomskochulym Turks, are located on the graph quite close to the South Siberian groups, but within the variability of the West Siberian Mongoloids. The combined series from the burial grounds of the forest-steppe part of the Irtysh region at the turn of the first and second millennia AD fell into the cluster of South Siberian Europoid-Mongoloid groups, reflecting the extreme variation of populations with a Central Asian admixture, and the combined series from this area in the middle of the second millennia AD was localized within the variability of the West-

6. Location of male samples close to the present and the combined series from the southern taiga Irtysh region of the IX-XIII centuries in the space of canonical vectors I and II (group numbers in accordance with the list in the text).

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but-the Siberian population. The Ust-Ishim sample is located between the series with the South Siberian admixture and the groups in which this component is practically not recorded. Both morphotypes identified in its composition tend to the former. It is this substrate with certain features characteristic of the South Siberian populations that gives the Ust-Ishim sample its distinctive character.

To clarify the position of Ust'ishimtsy in the system of modern anthropological types of Western Siberia and to determine the degree of participation of the medieval population in the genesis of modern groups, data on male series were studied using canonical analysis. The following groups are involved::

1. The Nenets (Debets, 1951);

2. Selkups, Flashing lights (unpublished data);

3. Selkups, Tiskino, late series (Bagashev, 2001);

4. Narym Selkups (Dremov, 1984);

5. Selkups, Chulym basin [Ibid.];

6. Selkups, Bederovsky Bor (unpublished data);

7. Selkups, Ket [Bagashev, 2002];

8. Chulymtsy, Yayakiya [Dremov, 1998b];

9. Chulymtsy, Yasashnaya Gora [Ibid.];

10. Chulymtsy, Turgai-Balagachevo [Ibid.];

11. Tomsk Tatars, Kozyulino [Ibid.];

12. Tomsk Tatars, Toyanov gorodok [Ibid.];

13. Tomsk Tatars, Ob [Ibid.];

14. Barabinsk Tatars (unweighted averages) [Kim, 1998];

15. Sargat group of Tobol-Irtysh Tatars (Bagashev, 1998);

16. Tobolsk group of Tobol-Irtysh Tatars [Ibid.];

17. Tyumen group of Tobol-Irtysh Tatars [Ibid.];

18. Northern Altaians (Dremov and Kim, 1998);

19. Khakasy [Ibid.];

20. North-eastern Bashkirs, Staro-Khalilovo (Yusupov, 1989);

21. Northern Mansi Mountains (Debets, 1951);

22. Northern Khanty, Obdorsk (Dremov and Bagashev, 1998);

23. Northern Khanty, Khalas-Pogor (Debets, 1951);

24. Eastern Khanty, Vasyugan (Dremov and Bagashev, 1998);

25. Eastern Khanty, Balyk [Ibid.];

26. Eastern Khanty, Salym [Ibid.];

27. Chum salmon (Gokhman, 1982).

The load values, which describe 45.3% of the variability, differentiate the groups by the width and height of the skull, the height of the face and bridge of the nose, and the degree of protrusion of the nasal bones (see Table. 4), i.e. according to the same principle as the ancient and medieval samples discussed above. On the graph, the series were grouped according to their belonging to the main anthropological types of Western and Southern Siberia (Fig. 6). The groups belonging to the Ural (eastern and northern Khanty, Mansi) and Ob-Irtysh (Selkups, Tomsk-Chulym and Tobolo-Barabinsk Tatars) types of the West Siberian race were located relatively compactly. South Siberian populations, Bashkirs, and representatives of the Yenisei variant of the North Asian race (Nenets and Chum Salmon) were separately localized. The Ust-Ishim sample is located between the areas of Selkups, Tobolsk-Barabinsk and Tomsk-Chulym Tatars. Its brachycranial morphotype is located within the boundaries of Selkup variability, and its mesocrane morphotype is located in the immediate vicinity of the Tomsk-Chulym Turks. Consequently, it can be assumed that the anthropological complexes involved in the formation of the Ust'ishimtsy are very close to the modern representatives of the Tomsk-Narym populations, especially to the Tyumen and Kourdak-Sargat groups of the Tobol-Irtysh Tatars.

Discussion of the results

When reconstructing the racial-genetic processes in the southern taiga part of the Irtysh region after the collapse of the Sargat cultural community, a number of problems still remain open due to the lack of paleoanthropological materials of the 5th-9th centuries from this territory. However, some assumptions can already be formulated. Judging by indirect data, in the V-XIII centuries there lived tribes similar in appearance to the low-faced Mongoloids, whose presence can be traced in the composition of the population of the forest-steppe of Western Siberia in the early Iron Age. This is especially evident when comparing the Ust'ishimtsy with the Kulai Kamennomyssk group. An indirect confirmation of the influence of Iron Age tribes on the formation of medieval populations is the spread of the custom of artificial deformation of skulls among Potchevash residents (Ust-Tarsky burial mound-7) [Danchenko, 2008]. A clear connection with the low-faced Mongoloids of the previous period does not allow us to say that the formation of the Ust-Ishim and, accordingly, Potchevash populations was determined by the migration of any tribes to the territory of the Irtysh region, but suggests that their genesis is autochthonous.

However, apart from the predominance of the West Siberian anthropological stratum, the Ust-Ishim population also contains a different type of Mongoloid admixture. In the forest-steppe part of the Irtysh region, at the turn of the first and second millennia AD, there were tribes living in the northern part of the region.

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in many ways different from their southern taiga neighbors. These tribes are related to the Srostkin archaeological culture. The appearance of Srostkin antiquities on the territory of the Irtysh region is due to the penetration of Mongoloid-Europoid migrants from Southern Siberia into the Ob-Irtysh interfluve (Alekseev, 1958, 1974; Mogilnikov, 1981; Savinov, 1984; Chikisheva and Kim, 1988; Bagashev, 1988). As a result of cross-breeding with the local population of the forest-steppe Irtysh region, both the Europoid component and the Mongoloid substrate of Central Asian origin penetrated into the latter. Already by the 14th and 16th centuries AD, the situation in this territory had changed: the influx of migrants from Southern Siberia apparently stopped, and further formation took place without significant participation of the alien population (Bagashev, 1988, 1993). These processes could not but affect the formation of the Ust-Ishim population. According to anthropological data, some part of the alien population at the end of the first millennium AD developed the territory of the subtaiga and southern taiga Irtysh region, mixing with local groups, which led to the appearance of a certain peculiarity of the Ust-Ishim people, especially clearly recorded by their connections selected morphotypes. That is why the Ust-Ishim series is close to samples from the taiga burial grounds of Astrakhantsevo, Basandaika, and others, where an admixture of South Siberian origin is also present (Bagashev, 2003; Chikisheva and Kim, 1988). Interestingly, this component is most clearly felt in craniological materials from the Ivanov Mys-1 burial ground, located in the subtaiga zone, to the south of the other Ust-Ishim funerary monuments under study. There were also military clashes with the alien population: the turtles from this burial ground were found to have suffered corresponding injuries (Razhev and Poshekhonova, 2009). However, the share of the South Siberian substrate in the structure of the Ust-Ishim paleopopulation was very small compared to the share of the component associated with the West Siberian line of development dating back to the Iron Age, so in general, the medieval population of the South taiga Irtysh region can be correlated with the Tobolo-Irtysh group of populations of the Ob-Irtysh anthropological type of the West Siberian race [Bagashev, 1988, 1993].

Among the modern ethnic groups of Western Siberia, the Tobol-Irtysh Tatars living in this territory are closest to the Ust'ishimtsy in terms of anthropological type. Despite the fact that minor admixtures of various origins were recorded in different ethnoterritorial groups, the racial basis dating back to the Middle Ages was the same for all [Bagashev, 1993]. Therefore, the role of the medieval population of the taiga Irtysh region in the racial genesis of the Tobol-Irtysh Tatars is indisputable. In other words, in the XIII-XIV centuries AD, the vast territory of the Middle Irtysh region underwent a change of culture and language to the Turkic ones, which did not entail a change in the anthropological type.

Conclusion

Thus, in the sub-taiga and southern taiga zones of Western Siberia in the early and advanced Middle Ages, there was a population that had much in common with the Taiga tribes of the early Iron Age. Undoubtedly, such a vast territory could not have been inhabited by populations with exactly the same anthropological structure. The various groups associated with a particular archaeological culture had a certain peculiarity in their physical structure. But what they all had in common was the predominance of the West Siberian substrate, which determined the specific physical appearance of each population. At the same time, certain features of territorial groups ' distinctiveness can be explained by mestizo processes. Despite the heterogeneity of the medieval population as a whole, specific populations clearly correlate with certain anthropological variants of the West Siberian race, in other words, with certain modern ethno-linguistic communities of Western Siberia.

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 19.03.10.

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