Mikhail Gerasimov (1907 – 1970) was a Soviet archaeologist and anthropologist who developed the first technique of forensic sculpture based on findings of anthropology, archaeology, paleontology, and forensic science. He studied the skulls and meticulously reconstructed the faces of more than 200 people, ranging from the earliest excavated homo sapiens and Neanderthals, to the Middle Ages monarchs and dignitaries, including Yaroslav the Wise of Kyiv, and Ivan the Terrible of Suzdal.
Below is a translation of a chapter from his book ‘Basics of facial reconstruction from the skull‘ published in 1949:
“In January 1939, a special commission opened a marble tomb in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, which was attributed to Yaroslav the Wise. When the tomb was opened, two skeletons of adults and separate bones of a child aged 2-3 were found in it.
Most of the bones were mixed up and some of them were in complete disarray, but it was still possible to see that
both skeletons were oriented with their heads to the west. No remains of tissue or other objects
were found.
A closer look at the skeletons revealed that one was male and the other female. The male skeleton belonged to a subject at least 70 years old, and a number of bones showed clear signs of pathological changes. The overall state of preservation was average.
It belonged to a tall man (172 cm), of medium build, who limped severely on his right leg, while the healthy left leg had a compensatory structure that strengthened it. Probably, the lameness occurred at an early age, since there are a number of formations that compensate for this lameness: displacement and lengthening of the neck of the right femur, general asymmetry of the pelvis, curvature of the spine, etc.
Apparently, in the last years of his life, this old man limped badly, transferring all the weight of his body to his left leg, he walked with a stick, avoiding any kind of sudden movements, especially of the body. These data confirm with sufficient documentation that the skeleton found in the tomb of the St. Sophia Cathedral really belonged to Yaroslav the Wise, since we know from chronicle sources about Yaroslav’s lameness.
Description of the skull according to Ginzburg. The cranium is mesocephalic, sphenoid in shape, rectangular from the back of the head, with an angular crown…
The facial parts of the skull are of medium length and width, ovoid in shape; the horizontal protrusion of the face is average. The forehead is of medium height and width, moderately sloping, with moderately developed tubercles…
The nose is strongly protruding, with a narrow bridge; the bridge of the nose is rounded. The profile of the nasal bones is convex in the lower part. The pear-shaped opening is pear-shaped, with a pointed lower edge…
The mandible is of medium size, with angles slightly bent inward, and a sharply defined chin…
The wear of the teeth is average. All teeth were preserved until death.
In this skull, attention is drawn to the great height of the face and the very shallow canine pits, i.e., features characteristic of brachycephalic skulls, which V.V. Ginzburg is inclined to explain by the mixing of the long-headed type with the short-headed type.
…The racial type of the skeleton being studied is undoubtedly of local origin, and not of a newcomer from the north. This may provide material for resolving one of the most interesting questions of Rusian history, namely, the question of the origin of the first princes of the Kyiv state.”
“Gardariki, Ukraine” ebook proposes a new theory on the origin of Yaroslav the Wise’s dynasty. M. Gerasimov’s statement above seems to confirm it.
‘Kyiv Rus in Heimskringla Sagas and Byzantine Texts‘ book tells a story of how and when Yaroslav the Wise received his wound to the leg. It also has little-known details of his marriage to the Swedish king’s daughter.
