Introduction. The article presents an analysis of the work by Professor A.L. Lovetsky of Moscow University, which outlines two classifications of human races developed by the French physicians A.C. Soserott and P.P. Broc. Both classifications reflect the state of scientific knowledge in the field of anthropological diversity in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, characterized by a Eurocentric perception of non-European peoples. The study of the structure and content of A.L. Lovetsky's work is of interest to historians of science and specialists in the field of ethnic anthropology.
Materials and methods. The materials for the study included: the original work by A.L. Lovetsky; publications dedicated to his life and scientific legacy; materials from print and electronic sources containing information about A.C. Soserott and P.P. Broc. The application of the comparative-historical method allowed for a comparison of the features of the two classifications and the correspondence of their subdivisions to modern major and minor races.
Results. The Sosserotte tables distinguish four tribes or races, whose characteristics and smaller subdivisions allow us to draw parallels with some of the large and small races of modern classifications. Broc's classification is largely similar to Soserott's, differing from it in its evaluation of anthropological differences from an aesthetic point of view and a generally more positive tone in its descriptions and characteristics. Broc's presentation is free-flowing, highlighting the data he deems most relevant and significant. The features of the terminology reveal the methodological imperfection of early 19th-century classifications, with their blurred boundaries between biological and social concepts. The concluding section of A.L. Lovetsky's book contains a number of propositions that remain relevant even for modern anthropological courses.
Conclusion. The book by A. L. Lovetsky serves as a guide for students, physicians, and naturalists in the field of anthropological classifications, which was new for the early 19th century. Lovetsky not only translated but also adapted and supplemented the materials of Soserott and Broc, creating one of the first educational manuals on the classification of human anthropological diversity. The work of A.L. Lovetsky holds significant historical interest for modern specialists in the field of ethnic anthropology and the history of university education.
Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Keywords:
anthropological differentiation; races; tribes; branches; social and biological terms
Introduction. This article continues the series of publications devoted to the study of the photographic images collection of representatives of the the Kuban region peoples at the end of the 19th century. It focuses on the analysis of images of the Brzedugs, one of the Adyghe (Circassian) subethnoses, which played a significant role in the history of the region.
Materials and methods. The basis for the study was the photographic images of Brzedugs from the collection of E.D. Felitsyn (1848-1903), presented at the Anthropological Exhibition in Moscow in 1879, and is currently kept in the collections of the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Results and discussion. Digital copies of photographic images of the Brzedugs representatives of the late 19th century, who lived in the Yekaterinodar district of the Kuban region in the villages of Kozet, Assokolai, and Brzegokai, are presented. All photos are made on the letterhead of the photographer P.S. Beletsky and are inserted in cardboard frames. The size of the photo is 11x16 cm, the frame size is 18x22 cm. The front and back sides contain textual information about the name of the region, county, tribe, village, the name of the person depicted, his age and height.
The article presents and analyzes literary information concerning the problems of origin, ethnic history, socio-cultural traditions of the Brzedugs, as well as data on the study of their anthropological features.
Conclusion. Currently, the Bzhedukhs represent the numerically predominant part of the Adygeans living in the Caucasus region. They take a significant part in the cultural and social life of the region and, at the same time, facing the challenges of globalization in modern conditions, preserve their identity based on traditional values and customs. The first published photographs of the Bzhedug people - representatives of one of the oldest Adyghe subethnoses from the collection of E.D. Felitsyn (1879), kept at the Moscow State University Research Institute and Museum of Anthropology, are a unique visual source of information and make a new contribution to understanding the ethnocultural diversity of the Caucasus as a whole. The presented photographic materials, supplementing and clarifying the available anthropological, ethnographic and historical data, make it possible to expand the source base and conduct comparative studies with other Adyghe subethnoses living in this region in the second half of the 19th century.
Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Introduction. The years 2025–2026 mark the 95th anniversary of the foundаtion of the State Museum of Anthropology at Moscow State University (1930) and the 90th anniversary of the unveiling of its racial exhibition (1936). These dates provide an opportunity to examine the history of an institution that played a significant role in the development of Russian physical anthropology and in the popularization of scientific knowledge about humans. A that time the racial exhibition at the State Museum of Anthropology, represented a rare attempt to demonstrate systematically the scientific inconsistency of racism—not through mere rhetoric, but through the consistent presentation of factual material about human races, their variability, and their interconnections.
Materials and methods. The reconstruction of the history of the State Museum of Anthropology and its exhibits was based mainly on literary sources: the article by N.N. Cheboksarov «The Racial Department of the State Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University» (1936), and the articles by M.S. Plisetsky (1932, 1936, 1940), as well as archival materials from the Research Institute and the Museum of Anthropology of Moscow State University. This article aims to trace the museum's path from an academic to a public institution and to characterize the scientific content of its exhibits dedicated to racial studies.
Results and discussion. The racial exhibition of the State Museum of Anthropology at Moscow State University is a unique phenomenon in the history of science and museum studies. The methodological solutions developed by Moscow anthropologists remain relevant today. A.I. Yarkho's concept of the taxonomic inequality of racial traits allowed for the construction of a hierarchy of racial differences without any judgment. Demonstrating the variability of traits – age-related, individual, and historical – undermined notions of their immutability and determinism. Materials on miscegenation refuted the thesis of the biological harm of racial mixing. The ethnographic section demonstrated the independence of cultural forms from racial identity.
Of particular value is the documentation of Nazi racial policy «in real time». The 1935–1936 exhibition documented events in Germany – sterilization laws, ideological texts – at a time when it was impossible to foresee the consequences of these policies. The museum performed a function that today we would call monitoring.
Conclusion. The Racial Division as it existed in 1936 has not survived. But its principles – strict factuality, critical analysis of sources, and the distinction between science and ideology – remain relevant in any era in which human biological diversity is used to justify inequality.
Acknowledgements. The study was conducted under the state assignment of Lomonosov Moscow State University. The author thanks A.V. Sukhova and A.V. Stepanova for assistance in selecting photographic materials and A.A. Mukhin for assistance in processing the photographs.
Introduction.The systematic development of International Anatomical Nomenclature from the Basel Anatomical Nomenclature of 1895 to the Human Anatomical Terminology of 2025 has led to the expansion and refinement of craniological terminology; however, a comprehensive quantitative analysis of chronological changes in terms related to the skull has not yet been conducted.
Materials and methods.A comparison of twelve editions of anatomical nomenclatures was conducted (BNA, JNA, PNA, NA 2–6, TA1–2, TOA, TAH). From each reference work, terms related to cranial bones, their articulations, and the dentomaxillary system were selected; duplicates were excluded. A content-analytical matrix method of “presence / absence” and descriptive statistics were applied.
Results and discussion.The number of original craniological terms increased by 23%: from 524 in BNA to 644 in TAH. The proportion of stable “core” terms appearing in all 12 editions is 57.2%, confirming the stability of basic terminology. The maximum duplication frequency was recorded in NA5 (3.85%), the minimum in BNA, TA2, and TOA. The most thorough revisions were observed during transitions from JNA to PNA and from NA6 to TA1–2, alternating with periods of conservative updating.
Conclusion.The evolution of craniological nomenclature reflects the presence of a “core” and terms subject to regular changes, conditioned by scientific progress and clinical requirements. The obtained data may serve as a basis for further standardization of terminology and improved communication among specialists from various fields.
Keywords:
anatomical terminology; craniological terminology; anatomical nomenclature; craniological nomenclature; skull; bones of the head