Experience of Reconstructing the Appearance of an Early
Neolithic Human from a Burial at the Shumilikha Cemetery (Southern Angara Region)

R. M. Galeev; N. E. Berdnikova; I. M. Berdnikov; A. B. Spasibko

List of issues > «Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series». 2022. Vol 41

Experience of Reconstructing the Appearance of an Early Neolithic Human from a Burial at the Shumilikha Cemetery (Southern Angara Region)

Full text (russian)

Author(s)

R. M. Galeev, N. E. Berdnikova, I. M. Berdnikov, A. B. Spasibko

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a reconstruction of the appearance of a hunter-gatherer of the Kitoi culture from a burial at the Shumilikha cemetery in the Southern Angara region. The excavations were carried out in 1999. In the grave, the walls of which were coated with clay, the remains of a human 25–35 years old were found. Under the skeleton, which was sprinkled with “ocher” (grated hematite rock), traces of a wooden construction were recorded. The grave goods (more than a hundred items) included such interesting finds as the kernels of fishhooks, a bone spoon, beads made of bone paste, as well as two items made of white jade: a ring and a cylindrical bead. There is a reliable radiocarbon date for the human bone, which, taking into account the correction for the reservoir effect, shows an age of 7,003±106 cal BP and allows you to determine the age of this complex by the Early Neolithic. Modern software for 3D modeling and visualization opens up great opportunities, so a virtual method was chosen to reconstruct the appearance of a human from a burial. First, all the bones of the skeleton were scanned, for which two types of 3D equipment were used: a stationary scanner RangeVision Spectrum based on structured light photogrammetry (for the skull and small bones) and a hybrid handheld scanner with structured LED and infrared illumination Shining 3D Einscan H (for large bones). The scan results are processed in RangeVision's ScanCenter NG using built-in algorithms. Filling voids, smoothing surfaces, simplifying 3D models, and correcting mesh defects are done manually at the stage of model postprocessing. For further work, the resulting models were transferred to the stl format. Facial reconstruction was carried out in Blender and ZBrush in several stages: 1) importing and combining models; 2) modeling of lost teeth and reconstruction of the occlusion; 3) CAD modeling of a set of soft tissue depth markers and their positioning by craniometric points; 4) modeling of auxiliary circuits for nose reconstruction and eyeball setting; 5) modeling of masticatory muscles; 6) modeling of facial muscles and fat sacs to simplify the production of a basic head model; 7) modeling the base mesh of the head; 8) digital sculpting of the head; 9) detailing of the digital sculpture; 10) rendering of the model and preparing the model for printing. As a result, a digital model of the appearance of an Early Neolithic hunter-gatherer from a burial at the Shumilikha cemetery was obtained.

About the Authors

Galeev Ravil Marvetovich, Junior Researcher, Department of Physical Anthropology, N.N. Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, RAS; 32a, Leninsky prospect, Moscow, 119334, Russian Federation, e-mail: ravil.galeev@gmail.com

Berdnikova Natalia Evgenievna, Senior Researcher, Scientific Research Center “Baikal region”, Laboratory of Geoarchaeology of Baikal Siberia, Irkutsk State University; 1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, e-mail: nberd@yandex.ru

Berdnikov Ivan Mikhailovich, Candidate of Sciences (History), Senior Researcher, Deputy Director for Science of Scientific Research Center “Baikal Region”, Laboratory of Geoarchaeology of Baikal Siberia, Irkutsk State University; 1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, e-mail: yan-maiski@yandex.ru

Spasibko Alexandra Borisovna, Trainee Researcher, Scientific Research Center “Baikal Region”, Laboratory of Geoarchaeology of Baikal Siberia, Irkutsk State University; 1, K. Marx st., Irkutsk, 664003, Russian Federation, e-mail: alekspbor@gmail.com

For citation

Galeev R. M., Berdnikova N. E., Berdnikov I. M., Spasibko A. B. Experience of Reconstructing the Appearance of an Early Neolithic Human from a Burial at the Shumilikha Cemetery (Southern Angara Region). Bulletin of the Irkutsk State University. Geoarchaeology, Ethnology, and Anthropology Series. 2022, Vol. 41, pp. 122–131. https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2022.41.122 (in Russ.)

Keywords

Southern Angara region, Early Neolithic, Kitoi culture, burial, 3D scanning, digital sculpting.

UDC

569.9.074:004.9

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26516/2227-2380.2022.41.122

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