Post by Admin on Jul 31, 2021 21:44:17 GMT
Restoration of the Tkhina-75 skull was conducted at the Laboratory of Plastic Reconstruction, the
Institute of Ethnography, USSR Academy of Sciences (now the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology
of Russian Academy of Sciences) under supervision of G. Lebedinskaya. The restored Tkhina-75 skull
(Figure S1.4) was examined in 1976 by A. Zubov, who summarized his findings as follows (translated
from Russian by Vladimir Yamshchikov).
Facial reconstruction on the Tkhina-75 skull using M. Gerasimov’s methodology of forensic
sculpture was done in 1976 by G. Lebedinskaya and yielded a portrait of a middle-age woman of likely
African ancestry, which in general agreed with conclusions from anthropological studies. The portrait
was adapted in 2013 by an amateur artist Roman Moskalik taking into consideration Zana’s appearance
according to witness accounts (Figure S1.5).
Institute of Ethnography, USSR Academy of Sciences (now the Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology
of Russian Academy of Sciences) under supervision of G. Lebedinskaya. The restored Tkhina-75 skull
(Figure S1.4) was examined in 1976 by A. Zubov, who summarized his findings as follows (translated
from Russian by Vladimir Yamshchikov).
The skull was of a human female of an average size. By the appearance of the cranial sutures, it can be said that the woman died at the age of about forty years, although based on the teeth wear, she could be at the age of fifty. Some features are peculiar: a very strong forward protrusion (alveolar prognathism) of the upper jaw, a shallow sloping palate, a strongly protruding occiput, a wide nasal opening with fossae prenasalis. The teeth are very uneven. In the area of the upper canines, there is a substantial distension of the jaw bones, which may indicate large canines (they are markedly worn). Due to this, a number of upper jaw teeth are almost Π-shaped. The lower jaw is somewhat too heavy for such a face, its bone is thicker, especially in its anterior part (symphysis). Noteworthy is the strong prognathism and slanted planting of the teeth with forward protrusion, which, apparently, resulted in their specific wear pattern.
Some of these features could be considered archaic if they were not combined with such progressive features as absence of the supraorbital ridge, large mastoid processes, which although indicative of strong musculature are characteristic specifically for a modern human, the normal for a modern human structure of teeth, small thickness of bones. In general, the skull is quite peculiar: according to many of these features, it can be generally attributed to a subSaharan African type, but this is partly contradicted by the large orbital height and overall large facial height.
Overall, the skull is interesting particularly if one bears in mind the location of its discovery. However, the African features are not that surprising in connection with the existence of a small African population in Abkhazia. The corresponding admixture is traceable in some places in the modern population there. From the anthropological point of view, it makes sense to continue searching for such material, even though interpretation of the skull is still premature.
Facial reconstruction on the Tkhina-75 skull using M. Gerasimov’s methodology of forensic
sculpture was done in 1976 by G. Lebedinskaya and yielded a portrait of a middle-age woman of likely
African ancestry, which in general agreed with conclusions from anthropological studies. The portrait
was adapted in 2013 by an amateur artist Roman Moskalik taking into consideration Zana’s appearance
according to witness accounts (Figure S1.5).