A craniophenetic analysis of the genetic relationships among the Finno-Ugric and Turkic populations of the Volga region has been carried out within the broader context of populations from Northwestern Europe, Southern and Western Siberia. The examined craniological series include those pertaining to the Mordva-Erzya, Mari, Udmurts, Komi, and the Turkic-speaking peoples of the Volga region — the Chuvash and Bashkirs. The comparative materials comprised data from Finns, Karelians, Estonians, Khanty, Mansi, Tuvans, Telengits, Khakas, and Russians from central and northwestern Russia. Phenetic distances between the populations were calculated using Smith's Mean Measure of Divergence. The results of multidimensional scaling of the phenetic distances reveal that the Finno-Ugric populations of the Volga region, together with the neighboring Turkic-speaking peoples, formed a distinct grouping that also included the northwestern Finno-Ugric populations. Thus, the analysis has demonstrated the genetic affinity and connections among Finno-Ugric peoples of the Volga-Ural region, their Turkic-speaking neighbors, and northwestern Finno-Ugric populations. These findings are corroborated by genetic data indicating the presence of a common genetic substrate among most Finno-Ugric populations. The phenetic and genetic diversity observed among Finno-Ugric ethnic groups appears to be attributable to the complex history of their gene pool formation, involving both shared origins, and migration processes and genetic contacts with neighboring ethnic groups.

Keywords: Finno-Ugrics, non-metric traits, Volga-Ural region, paleophenetics, Smith's Mean Measure of Divergence (MMD).

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Accepted: 26.02.2025

Article is published: 15.06.2025