History of studying anthropological material coming from necropolis from the territory of the Perm Cis-Ural region

The article deals with the problem of studying anthropological material from the territory of the Perm Cis-Urals region. The author identifies three chronological stages of the publication activity among researchers and analyzes the periods of increased interest in paleoanthropology of the region. The first anthropological studies in the Perm region were conducted in the late 19th century by N.M. Maliev, who analyzed materials from the Kudymkar cemetery. However, research during this stage was sporadic and there were no local anthropologists in the region. The Soviet stage of research, which took place in the second half of the 20th century, was associated with large-scale archaeological excavations in the Perm Cis-Urals, including the Mitinsky and Demenkovsky cemeteries, which contained well-preserved anthropological remains. Moscow anthropologists M.S. Akimova, V.P. Alekseev, and S.G. Efimova presented paleoanthropological analysis, dealing with the issues of racial genesis, as as there were still no local specialists in paleoanthropology. The most recent stage of research, referring to the early 21st century, is characterized by new archaeological excavations at the burial grounds in the Perm Cis-Urals, as well as the emergence of regional researchers and a broader range of topics being explored. The paper also describes the difficulties that anthropologists face when working with human bones. There are still many white spots on the anthropological map of the region, which do not yet allow the researchers to see the full picture of region's population movements in antiquity. The gaps can potentially be filled by new anthropological material obtained from recent excavations of ancient burial grounds and necropolises of Modern times.