Maria Balabanova

Until recently, anthropology was of the opinion that Sarmatians had played an important role in the development of the morphological peculiarities of medieval peoples in Eastern Europe. The “Sarmatian type” as defi ned by researchers combined moderate brachycrania and reduced horizontal profi ling of the facial structures at the upper level only, whereas the other parts of the facial skeleton were distinctly Europeoid. The nose was sharply protruding and with a high bridge.The large amount of material (over 2000 skulls) calls for reconsidering the data on Sarmatian origins and for raising the issue of Sarmatian participation in the ethnogenesis of Medieval East European peoples. Inter-group comparison and identifi cation of the share of brachycranial, mesochranial and dolichocranial Europeoids in chronological Sarmatian groups shows gradual accumulation of dolichocranial Europeoids from Early Sarmatian time to Late Sarmatian. Such a distribution of the morphological types can be explained by the participation of migrant groups of dolichocranial Europeoids as early as the 2nd c. BC – 1st c. AD. Sample Late Sarmatian materials show that by that time the brachycranial Europeoid type was practically completely assimilated, and the dolichocranial Europeoid type gained prevalence throughout the cultural space.