ANTHROPOLOGY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL POPULATIONS FROM INNER ASIA

Abstract

Comparative craniofacial morphological studies of the archaeological and contemporary populations of Inner Asia from Neolithic up to medieval or Mongolian period, show great heterogeneity of morphological traits. In the Neolithic, Early Bronze age and Xiongnu period, the Altai mountain, Xingjian and Western Mongolia were inhabited by people with Caucasoid or mixed morphological features while the Baikal region, East Mongolia and Inner Mongolia were occupied by populations with developed Mongoloid anthropological traits.

       Results of the craniofacial comparative analysis between archaeological populations from Inner Asia show that the first wave of mongoloid population migration from Eastern part of Inner Asia likely took place at the end of Neolithic period and the migration of Caucasoid population from West to East lasted up to medieval or Mongolian period. The cross regional migration of archaeological population played noticeable role in culture and ethnic process of populations from Inner Asia.