Laboratory of Contextual Anthropology
The Contextual Anthropology Laboratory was established in late 2018. Its primary focus is the study of paleoanthropological material in the context of archaeological sites and paleoenvironments.
The relevance of this research is driven by the expanding interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeology and paleoanthropology in recent decades. A contextual approach involves developing methods for field collection and recording of skeletal remains, as well as the creation of information systems containing information on their location, preservation, biological characteristics, and elements of funerary rituals.
Direct participation in excavations also allows for the collection and recording of necessary samples and data, the analytical study of which evaluates taphonomic processes and paleoecological conditions. Combining modernized fieldwork methods with the creation of an information system characterizing paleoanthropological materials creates the basis for the development of scientific archaeological data storage without losing vital data on the archaeological context. These materials and their informational support are of immense scientific value due to the rapid development of new methods.
Exploring human interactions with the environment through the reconstruction and modeling of trophic relationships in ancient and medieval ecosystems based on the isotopic composition of bioarchaeological materials is one of the priority areas of paleoecological context research. It is based on the concept of anthropogeocenosis developed by Academician V.P. Alekseev (1991).
The laboratory includes specialists representing various scientific disciplines, including the humanities and natural sciences: archeology, art history, physical anthropology, bioinformatics, and geodesy.
The relevance of this research is driven by the expanding interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeology and paleoanthropology in recent decades. A contextual approach involves developing methods for field collection and recording of skeletal remains, as well as the creation of information systems containing information on their location, preservation, biological characteristics, and elements of funerary rituals.
Direct participation in excavations also allows for the collection and recording of necessary samples and data, the analytical study of which evaluates taphonomic processes and paleoecological conditions. Combining modernized fieldwork methods with the creation of an information system characterizing paleoanthropological materials creates the basis for the development of scientific archaeological data storage without losing vital data on the archaeological context. These materials and their informational support are of immense scientific value due to the rapid development of new methods.
Exploring human interactions with the environment through the reconstruction and modeling of trophic relationships in ancient and medieval ecosystems based on the isotopic composition of bioarchaeological materials is one of the priority areas of paleoecological context research. It is based on the concept of anthropogeocenosis developed by Academician V.P. Alekseev (1991).
The laboratory includes specialists representing various scientific disciplines, including the humanities and natural sciences: archeology, art history, physical anthropology, bioinformatics, and geodesy.
Employees
Dobrovolskaya Maria Vsevolodovna
Head of the Context Anthropology Laboratory, Leading Research Fellow, Doctor of History
Svirkina Natalia Gennadievna
Junior Research Fellow at the Context Anthropology Laboratory, Academic Secretary of the Department
Buryak Anastasia Dmitrievna
Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Contextual Anthropology
Guseva Violetta Pavlovna
Danilevskaya Victoria Igorevna
Junior researcher at the Laboratory of Contextual Anthropology
Nelyubov Sergey Alekseevich
Junior Researcher at the Laboratory of Contextual Anthropology
Smirnov Alexey Leonidovich
Junior Research Fellow at the Context Anthropology
Chelogaeva Ekaterina Olegovna
Senior Researcher at the Laboratory of Contextual Anthropology
Yudina Anastasia Mikhailovna
Junior Research Fellow at the Context Anthropology Laboratory