Sculptural images as a source for anthropology of the medieval population of Northern Eurasia | Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2021. № 69. DOI: 10.17223/19988613/69/19

Sculptural images as a source for anthropology of the medieval population of Northern Eurasia

The aim of this article is to prove the possibility of using the iconography data as a source for paleoanthropology of Northern Eurasia. The tasks of the research included the determination of the degree of realism and portraiture of the medieval sculptural images. The main sources were the ceramic microplastics and the wooden sculpture of the 7th century kurgans in Mongolia. In the cenotaph-kurgan Shoroon Bumbagar in Zaamar sum of the Tov aimag in Mongolia 63 sculptures suitable for anthropological research were found. 35 units are ceramic microplastics. Among them, 24 figures are full length, 11 are images of horsemen. 28 sculptures are made of wood, 10 of which are full length figures. 18 units are presented in fragments. Currently, the materials are stored in the Zanabazar Museum of Fine Arts (UlaanBaator). More than 90 sculptures were found in the Ulaan Kherem Shoroon Bumbagar kurgan in the Bayannuur sum of the Bulgan aimag in Mongolia. Among the terracotta figurines: 14 horsemen and 25 male figures in full length, of Turkic appearance and, presumably, in the nomad clothes (Turks); 25 full length male figures of Chinese appearance, in traditional Chinese attire, apparently representing the officials of the Tang dynasty administration at the headquarters of the buried; 10 female figures. Additionally, wooden figures are presented in the collection - 4 full length figures and 17 fragmented images. All of the materials are situated at the exhibit and in the funds of the Kharkhorin museum. The portraiture and realism of images has been proven. A comparative analysis of the materials allowed to make a conclusion on the belonging of most of the materials to the South Siberian race which includes most of the modern Turkic peoples of the Northern Asia. Figures depict people with domineering features of the mongoloid racial stock. The face is tall and wide, orthognathic, with pronounced cheekbones. On the other hand, the nose structure rather falls out of the set of typically mongoloid features - almost all of the sculptures have a straight, moderately protruding nose with a rather high bridge, sometimes with a hump. Another part of the sculptural images demonstrates a different set of features characteristic for the East Asian race that includes part of the modern peoples of Northern China, Korea and Far East. The sculptures are characterized by the mongoloid set of features. Same as the previous example, a flattening of the face and Mongolian slit-eye can be noted. The face is tall, relatively narrow, orthognathic. The nose is narrow, slightly protruding, with a straight bridge. The nose bridge is low. Thus, we can reasonably speak of the ethnic expansion of the Tang China among the nomads of the Central Asian steppes. Based on the above, the use of the sculptural images from the burials of the Mongolian ancient Turks in racial and ethnical analysis of the Middle Age population appears to be possible and necessary.

Download file
Counter downloads: 69

Keywords

paleoanthropology, iconography, sculpture, Mongolia

Authors

NameOrganizationE-mail
Buraev Alexei I.Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciencesburaev1961@mail.ru
Всего: 1

References

Hamy E. La figure humainedans les monuments de l'Egyptancienne // Bulletin de la societed'anthropologie de Paris. Ser. 5. 1907. Vol. VIII. P. 7-43.
Poole R. The Egyptian classification of the races of man // Journal of the anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 1887. Vol. XVI. Р. 370-379.
Дебец Г.Ф. Антропологическое исследование погребальных масок таштыкской культуры (Минусинский край) // Краткие сообщения НИИ и Музея антропологии МГУ за 1938-1939 гг. М., 1941. С. 28-29.
Дебец Г.Ф. Палеоантропология СССР. М. ; Л. : Изд-во АН СССР, 1948. 392 с. (Труды Института этнографии АН СССР. Нов. сер.; т. 4).
Г охман И.И., Баркова Л.Л. Кто они? Стерегущие золото грифы (опыт реконструкции антропологического состава и социальной структуры по данным палеоантропологии и изображений человека) // Горизонты антропологии. М. : Наука, 2003. С. 418-426.
Пугаченкова Г.А. К иконографии Герая (о некоторых вопросах раннекушанской истории) // Вестник древней истории. 1965. № 1. С. 127-136.
Пугаченкова Г.А. Халчаян: к проблеме художественной культуры Северной Бактрии. Ташкент : Фан, 1966. 287 с.
Пугаченкова Г.А. Скульптура Халчаяна. М. : Искусство, 1971. 202 с.
Пугаченкова Г.А. Художественные сокровища Дальверзин-тепе. Л. : Аврора. 1978. 104 с.
Пугаченкова Г.А. Искусство Бактрии эпохи кушан. М. : Искусство, 1979. 247 с.
Pugachenkova G.A. The Terra-Cotta Horses of Bactria-Tokharistan: semantics and image // Bulletin of Asia Institute. New Series. 1989. Vol. 3. Р. 15-19.
Алексеев В.П. Историческая антропология и этногенез. М. : Наука, 1989. 445 с.
Ходжайов Т.К., Мустафакулов С.И., Ходжайова Г.К. Старый Термез (к антропологии населения Бактрии - Тохаристана). Актобе : Актю бинский областной центр истории, этнографии и археологии, 2012. 320 с.
Ходжайов Т.К., Абдуллаев К. Население кушанской Бактрии (антропология, письменные источники и изобразительное искусство). Саарбрюкен : Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011. 145 с.
Очир А., Данилов С.В., Эрдэнэболд Л., Цэрэндорж Ц. Эртний нуудэлчдийн бунхант булшны: малтлага, судалгаа. (Тѳваймгийн Заамар сумын Шороон бумбагарын малтлагын тайлан). Улаанбаатар, 2013. 164 с.
Бураев А.И. Древние тюрки Монголии (реконструкция антропологического состава по данным скульптурных изображений). Улан-Удэ : Изд-во БНЦ СО РАН, 2016. 240 с.
Эртний нуу дэлчдийн урлагийн дурсгал. Cultural monuments of ancient nomads. Ulaanbaatar, 2017. 248 с.
Очир А., Эрдэнэболд Л., Харжаубай С., Жантегин Х. Эртний нуудэлчдийн бунхант булшны: малтлага, судалгаа. (Булган аймгийн сумын Уланхэрмийн Шороон бумбагарын малтлагын тайлан). Улаанбаатар, 2013. 290 с.
Гумилев Л.Н. Древние тюрки. М. : Айрис-пресс, 2013. 560 с.
Камалов А.К. Тюрки и иранцы в Танской империи. Алматы : Мир, 2017. 384 с.
На северо-западе Китая нашли 1300-летнюю гробницу члена императорской семьи. URL http://russian.news.cn/2019-12/18/c_138640770.htm (дата обращения: 20.09.2020).
 Sculptural images as a source for anthropology of the medieval population of Northern Eurasia | Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2021. № 69. DOI: 10.17223/19988613/69/19

Sculptural images as a source for anthropology of the medieval population of Northern Eurasia | Tomsk State University Journal of History. 2021. № 69. DOI: 10.17223/19988613/69/19

Download full-text version
Counter downloads: 1434