ANTHROPOLOGICAL STUDIES IN ENGLAND, RUSSIA, 

 SIBERIA, AND FRANCE, 1939 



By ALES HRDLICKA 



Curator, Division of Physical Anthropology, U. S. National Museum 



On April 15, 1939, the writer left New York on an anthropological 

 trip to Europe, with particular emphasis on studies in Russia and 

 Siberia. The main objects of the trip were : In London to see the 

 remains of early man from Palestine, and also whatever Siberian 

 skeletal material there might be in the museums of that city. In 

 France the main purpose was to see the newly established Museum 

 of Man in Paris. In Russia and Siberia the chief objective was to 

 examine such skeletal and cultural materials from Siberia as might 

 have a bearing on the problem of Asiatic-American connections. 



Throughout the writer's stay in England and in the U.S.S.R. he 

 received the most cordial and effective cooperation from the scientists 

 and authorities of those countries, as well as from our own official 

 representatives there. It would be impracticable to mention here the 

 names of all those who were of assistance ; but in England special 

 thanks are due Sir Arthur Keith and Franklin C. Gowen, the Second 

 Secretary of our Embassy, and in Russia the VOKS (Association 

 for Cultural Relations), the Intourist, and the academicians, direc- 

 tors, and staffs of the Anthropological Institute in Leningrad and 

 of the Anthropological Institute in Moscow ; and the heads and mem- 

 bers of the staff of the University and Museum at Irkutsk, Siberia. 



The main part of the trip was in the U.S.S.R., where the stay was 

 divided between Leningrad, Moscow, and Irkutsk. In the anthropo- 

 logical institutes and museums of these cities the writer found ex- 

 ceedingly rich and valuable materials from Siberia, all of which he 

 was allowed to utilize freely. 



The examinations in Leningrad were carried on in the new 

 Anthropological Institute and Museum, which is housed in one of 

 the most historic buildings in Russia — the Kunst-Kamera, founded 

 by Peter the Great and still preserving many of the specimens that 

 he brought from Holland. The Museum has a very large and valu- 

 able collection of human crania and skeletons, including important 

 series of skulls of the Chukchi and other Siberian peoples. In the 

 Anthropological Institute of the Moscow University there is another 

 huge cranial and skeletal collection, including other important series 

 of Siberian materials. Finally, at the Irkutsk Museum there was 



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