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Introduction. Morphological studies of ancient peoples are associated with traditions of physical anthropology classifying data of similarity and differences of appearance of humans in the past. The use of standard measurement techniques contributed to the accumulation of a data array that allows drawing conclusions about the origin and environment of paleopopulations even with a small number and preservation of skeletal material. Archaeological sites of the Jetyasar culture were investigated in the 80s of the 21st century by the Khwarism Expedition of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the low basin of the Syr Darya river. The culture originated as a result of contacts of oasis agriculturists and steppe cattle-breeders in the northern part of the Great Silk Road. The majority of material is associated with the period from the first centuries AD till the 8th century, when local population left places due to increased aridity. According to archaeological data, during the 4 th – 7th centuries part of the inhabitants of the region had migrant origin and/or participated in the Great Migration to the west. The goal of the study is to evaluate the morphological diversity of the Jetyasar people during the mediaeval time.

Methods and Materials. The skeletal series from Altyn-Asar 4a-t, Tompakasar, Kosasar burial sites totally represents remains of 600 individuals of different chronology. Comparative data from Southern Siberia, Middle Asia, North Caucasus and Central Europe helps to study the differentiation of the mediaeval population by basic parameters of the skeletal constitution reflected in the size and linear body proportions (method of canonic analysis).

Results and Conclusions. The paper reveals some trends which might indicate genetic relations of some Jetyasar groups and their possible participation in migrations. Morphological similarity of groups from Kosasar-2 and Altyn-Asar 4v burial sites with inhabitants of Mongolia and Tuva of the Hun-Sarmatian time has been detected. The patterns of physical development of people from Altyn-Asar 4m necropolis confirm the hypothesis of archaeologists about their migrant origin. However, the majority of other early and later groups have morphological analogies among the earlier or synchronous population of Middle Asia (Altyn-Asar 4b, l, d, r, g, Tompakasar). Part of the population demonstrates peculiar morphological similarity with the Avars of Central Europe (Altyn-Asar 4k, t, o).

Introduction. The origin of the Jetyasar culture's population remains a subject of debate. It was generally accepted that the Xiongnu penetrated into the Aral Sea region and participated in the formation of the local population. Previous studies have shown a complex and admixed origin of the Jetyasar people. But the spread of the head deformation tradition in this population imposes serious limitations on the application of craniometric methods for studying Jetyasar samples. Those limitations can be potentially mitigated with the use of geometric morphometrics (GM). The purpose of this work was to assess the degree of variation in the facial skeleton of the Jetyasar people in comparison with populations of the Early Iron Age and the Hunno-Sarmatian period. Material and methods. Digital, three-dimensional models of the skulls were created. Ten landmarks were placed on each of the models and subjected to general Procrustes analysis (GPA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Results. The first PC of the analysis of the total male sample reflects variation in the height of the face, nasal bridge protrusion, and the relative width of the infraorbital region. The second component describes the height of the lateral part of the zygomatic process of the maxilla and the adjacent part of the zygomatic bone. The Kosasar 2 male sample is the most diverse morphologically. This burial ground, according to archeological data, belonged to a migrant population related to the Xiongnu. In the female total sample, high values of the first PC are associated with a tall face, a weak nasal bridge protrusion, and a long zygomatic-maxillary suture. The second PC describes the morphology of the zygomatic process of the upper jaw. The Jetyasar samples are morphologically distinct from the skulls from China, Mongolia, Western Siberia, and Southern Siberia. An exception are the crania from the burial grounds of Kosasar 2, 3, and Altyn-Asar 4t which are similar to the early Iron Age samples from China (inner Mongolia, Warring States period, 5 th – 3rd centuries BC), Mongolia (Xiongnu period), and Tuva (Arzhan-2). Discussion. The Xiongnu migration could become a catalyst for the admixture and ethnogenetic processes in the region. Conclusion. Our study shows that the population of the Jetyasar culture was morphologically heterogeneous at all stages of the culture's development. The hypothesis about the migrant roots of a part of the population is confirmed by our data.