Based on a comparative analysis of anthropological data for individual time sections, it was possible to identify the dynamics of the development of the population of the Armenian Highlands from the Early Bronze Age to the present. The set of odontological features is a complex of heterogeneous indicators that allow us to study ethnogenetic and reduction processes. They differ in the degree of epochal conservativeness, intergroup correlation, genetic determination, transgression, or discreteness. After analyzing the epochal variability of the dental system in the inhabitants of the Armenian Highlands, we conclude that the microevolutionary changes of teeth in the populations inhabiting this region had the same direction-a tendency to reduction.

Key words: evolution, ontogenesis, odontology, reduction, ethnogenesis, adaptation process, Armenian Highlands.

Introduction

The epochal processes of morphological transformation that we observe can be traced from the very beginning of the settlement of our planet by modern representatives of the species Homo sapiens. It can be stated with certainty that the fundamental change is the change in its intensity along the axis of the longitudinal dimensions of the head and body. On the skull, this process is reflected in changes in its shape (degree of roundness) while maintaining absolute volume; the postcranial skeleton, with relative stability of proportions, reacts with periodic changes in total size. Therefore, such a phenomenon as a secular increase in body length, which was observed throughout almost the entire XX century, does not seem to be something special, out of the ordinary. A change in the dental apparatus is associated with a general restructuring of the physical type of a person.

The growing interest in this problem is explained by the instability of the dental system, the presence of a wide range of different stages of tooth reduction, which may still be subject to transformative processes at the present stage. It is very likely that brachycephalization, debrachycephalization, gracilization, reduction, and acceleration are internally interrelated, but most likely due to different factors. The reason for the manifestation of these microevolutionary intraspecific tendencies lies in certain ontogenetic shifts - acceleration (or slowing down) of growth processes under the influence of endocrine, neuro-humoral, trophic and other factors. Odontology plays an important role in solving a number of controversial issues in the field of ethnogenesis related to the epochal dynamics of the entire complex of human morphological features.

In many countries, studies are being conducted on changes in the human maxillary system in the course of dental surgery.-

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recent millennia. Scientists see the causes of epochal changes in its structure in soft food [Dutta, 1983] and, consequently, in the weakening of the functional load on the teeth; genetic factors [Zubov, 1964; Brabant and Twiesselmann, 1964]; the influence of the external environment, biochemical processes [Dahlberg, 1963; Shapiro, 1963], etc. Throughout the entire period of human evolutionary development, changes in teeth of all classes were combined with certain transformations of the jawbones. P. Andrik (1965) showed the changes that occurred in the jaws over 4 thousand years. Based on the corresponding analysis of the skialogical results, it was found that the width of the dental arches decreased by approximately 2 - 3 mm. In the representatives of the modern population, compared to the subjects of the Late Bronze Age, the body of the lower jaw is shorter by about 6 mm, the upper - by 4 mm, and the ascending branch - by 10 mm. The height of the upper jaw in Western Europeans in the modern era (XIX-XX centuries) [Bunak, 1959] either remains unchanged or gradually increases [Donina, 1969]. In the literature, assumptions have been made about the constant process of transformation of individual components. Even an increase in the evolutionary rate at the present stage was indicated for some of them [Masztalerz, 1962]. D. Goose [Goose, 1963] sees certain and probably quite natural morphological shifts as a frightening symptom of progressive disharmonies and anomalies, predicting the development of this phenomenon in time and space. Based on the data available in the literature on the reduction of jawbones, it can be assumed that the size of the retromolar space (the area behind the third molar) captured by the general reduction process also undergoes certain changes. This space reduces the size of the jaws (Rudenko, 1971). The small size of teeth can occur due to the fact that when the load on the masticatory apparatus is weakened, the alveolar processes decrease and the harmony of the jaws and teeth is disturbed ("crowding selection"). [Zubov, Khaldeyeva, 1989], or because of the rapid spread of caries, which is more susceptible to large teeth of complex structure [Khudaverdyan, 2005, p.37]. These arguments are based on the recognition of the significant role of the cultural factor in the evolution of the dental system. As an example, let us cite the work of P. V. Sciulli (1979), where a specific material demonstrates a decrease in tooth size in ethnic groups with a traditional mixed type of economy, in contrast to hunter-gatherer tribes. The influence of the "cultural factor "on the morphology of teeth is indicated by such an important fact as the presence of a sharp" jump " in the reduction process after the Neolithic revolution. According to Brace (1979), the size of teeth in Upper Paleolithic subjects is on average only 5% smaller than in classical Neanderthals, and in modern humans it is already 20% smaller than in Upper Paleolithic subjects. According to D. V. Freyer (1977), during the Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic in Europe, there was a clearly pronounced process of reduction of the facial skeleton with a more delayed reduction of the dental system. P. Smith (1976) analyzed the epochal variability of this system in representatives of the Middle East and came to the conclusion that for 6 thousand years, microevolutionary changes in teeth in the populations inhabiting this territory had the same direction - a tendency to reduction. It should be noted that in isolated groups there were certain differences in the complex of traits, but not because of the multidirectional nature of the microevolutionary process, but because of different rates of reduction. So, the reduction process acts not only as a leveling factor, but also as a differentiating one. It is on the basis of the analysis of the uneven rate of evolution of the human dental system that the mutation theory emerged [Brace, 1979], which explains the reduction changes in hominid teeth by the gradual accumulation of mutations, leading to a simplification of the structure and a reduction in the size of teeth.

The peculiar rhythm of the process of reduction of the dental system can be explained in the gradual, but interrupted by individual jumps, weakening of the influence of natural selection on odontological features. It should not be forgotten that the dental system has a very extensive set of heterogeneous features, some of which may be" in the focus " of selection, while others are free from its control, and these groups of features can "switch places"under certain circumstances. Any morphological detail of the dental system that has lost its function (in particular, a wisdom tooth) slowly degrades as mutations accumulate uncontrollably, but it is possible that over time it will disappear under the influence of "negative selection" as soon as it begins to cause harm (for example, complications caused by pathological processes in the Neolithic period). when these phenomena could not be eliminated by medicine).

Dividing all odontological markers into racial and reductive ones reveals the different nature of their origin. The first probably arose in the era of divergence of ancestral groups of large racial trunks under the influence of selection during the adaptation process. And not necessarily the hair dryers in question themselves were installed-

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As a result, it could be determined by a number of adaptively important features of the skull. Certain odontological parameters correlating with both craniometric and cranioscopic features (Graudonis et al., 1985; Khudaverdyan, 2009, pp. 349-352) may have been involved in the process of race divergence during the formation of the latter, when the morphological features of the skull were adaptive and had significant adaptive significance. It is possible that since then (since the Upper Paleolithic) the distribution of some odontological features associated with large races has been preserved in a "partially distorted form" (Zubov and Khaldeyeva, 1989, p.35). The racial complex of odontological markers that emerged in this way subsequently fell to some extent into the conditions of weakened selection, and it could be superimposed with changes of a reductive type. So, both factors of changes in the dental system over time were closely intertwined.

Another" arena "of interaction between selection and" pure " reduction is the process of tooth formation in ontogenesis. It is known that the phenotypic appearance of the dental crown, in particular the degree of its reduction, significantly depends on ontogenesis (Sofaer, 1973), which is determined by both genetic and environmental factors. J. A. Wallace (1977), who studied teething in the earliest hominid representatives from bone remains, came to the conclusion that the gradual deceleration of the ontogenetic development of the dental system, characteristic of the human line of evolution, began already 2.5-2 million years ago. the period of information transfer between generations) and the object of natural selection. It should be noted that one of the consequences of delayed tooth development is a certain degree of their reduction. In the ontogenesis of the dental system, the selection factor and the mutational effect can be fixed and closely intertwined, and both act through slowing down the formation processes, thus having a common direction and, probably, in many cases, a similar result, expressed in the final phenotypic structure. It becomes obvious that it would be wrong to contrast them and that reduction of the dentoalveolar apparatus is not theoretically unexpected.

Even at the first stages of the formation of the human race, selection took place not only in the direction of adaptation to the sum of abiotic and biotic factors of the natural environment, but also in terms of the degree of functional correspondence of the subject to the group, the ability of the subject (system) to fully participate in the functioning of the group as a single whole (suprasystem), playing the role of an adequate element of the latter [Khudaverdyan, 2008]. Probably, selection in the direction of complex group behavior occurred primarily through the complication and improvement of the organization of the nervous system. D. K. Belyaev attached great importance to psychoemotional stress in the mechanism of destabilizing selection: "Selection becomes destabilizing when neuroendocrine systems of ontogenesis regulation come under its pressure directly or indirectly. This seems to always happen when new stressors appear in the environment that are not mastered by the species, or when stressors that are already mastered by the species reach a high level of tension and strength... The destabilizing effect of selection seems to manifest itself with particular force in extreme ecological situations, under strong stress pressures, especially when the environment changes, rather than just changing ecological niches within the environment, i.e., precisely at those moments when there is a particularly large acceleration in the pace of evolution" [1983, p. 275]. Quite severe stress always accompanied our ancestors at any stage of their evolution, which, as we know, was reflected in asymmetry, hypoplasia of teeth, etc. [Khudaverdyan, 2009, pp. 104-128]. Destabilizing selection, by dramatically increasing the variability, could create conditions for reducing the size and simplifying the structure of teeth (with a pronounced selective value of these traits) or, due to the acceleration of the mutation process, cause the mutation effect known to us, i.e. disorderly accumulation of mutations (under conditions of selective neutrality of the mentioned traits). Behavioral selection and the associated destabilizing selection, according to D. K. Belyaev, can lead to activation of dormant genes and inactivation of genes that were previously active [1981, p. 21]. This probably explains some phenomena in the field of dental morphology that seem to" fall out " of the general picture of reduction, but at the same time are associated with it. We refer to the crown structures: Carabelli's tubercle, buccostyle, and mesiodens. So, the specificity of the dental system is expressed in a combination of different forms of selection, in their interaction and change, as well as in the presence of a mutational effect generated by destabilizing selection while weakening its other forms. Given the above, it is hardly surprising that the reduction processes did not occur in the same way in different territories.

Material and methods

Our comparative analysis of the anthropological features of ancient populations in the Armenian Highlands revealed the following features:

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the character of epochal variability of morphological features. The data is grouped according to the categories of archaeological classifications by epoch, and within them-by burial grounds. The study of the dental system was carried out according to the method developed by A. A. Zubov [1968, 1973] and other authors. 14 odontological features were used for the analysis: diastema I2-I1, crowding I2, reduction I2 (scores 2 + 3), reduction I2 (score 1), reduction hy by M2, Carabelli's tubercle by m1, four-hillock forms by M1, six-hillock forms by M1, chetyrehbugorkovye forms on M 2, 1 eo (3) on M 1, distal trigonid crest, knee fold med, TAMI, 2 med (II) on M 1. The entire period was divided into three chronological segments. The first one is represented by a series of Bronze Age (III-II millennia BC) burials from Lanjik and the Black Fortress, the second-from the ancient period (I century BC-III century AD) from the burial grounds of Veniamin, Vardbakh, Black Fortress I, the third-by modern Armenians (combined series and crania armenica). For graphical representation of the comparison results, canonical and cluster analyses were chosen, which allow us to identify gradients of inter-group variability across sets of features (Deryabin, 1983). We used the Kanoklass program developed by V. E. Deryabin at Moscow State University (version 6.9).

Discussion of the results

The material from the Armenian Highlands gives a general idea of the reduction processes that took place in this territory.

Diastema I 2 - I 1. The frequency dynamics of this trait reflects one of the aspects of the process of reduction of the dental system, since the presence of diastemas indicates a reserve of free space in the jaw, and its phenotypic severity depends on the size of the alveolar process [Zubov, 1973]. The percentage of diastema I2 - I1 in the Bronze Age is high (23.62 %). Its noticeable decrease was noted in the ancient period (10.98 %). A characteristic feature of modern Armenians is the extremely low value of this marker (9.2 %). Thus, the frequency of occurrence of this trait in the territory of the Armenian Highlands tends to decrease (Figure 1).

Crowding I 2. The reaction to the increasing lack of space in the jaws due to a reduction in their overall size can be considered crowding of teeth, their incorrect position in the alveolar processes, turning in one direction or another. Crowding is localized mainly in the area of incisors and canines. Although diastema and crowding are morphological antagonists that reveal opposite trends in the course of general microevolutionary transformations, in some cases there may be parallelism in the nature of their epochal changes. The frequency of crowding in the studied groups of the Armenian Highlands varies from 3 to 74.8 %. Representatives of the Bronze Age are characterized by a high value of this indicator (62.5 %), and the population of the first century BC - III century AD (Veniamin, Black Fortress I, Vardbakh, Karmrakar) - the maximum (74.8%). A rather unusual decrease (3 %) was observed in modern Armenians (crania armenica, XX century). Interesting data were obtained by N. I. Donina [1969]: the frequency of crowding in Western European populations increases in the XVII-XVIII centuries. in comparison with the IX-XIV centuries, almost twice on the lower jaw and three times on the upper one, and in the XVIII - XX centuries. - more than 2 times on the upper jaw and slightly on the lower one. Thus, the abnormal position of the teeth, expressed in their crowding, complements the general pattern of epochal transformations of the dental system.

Hypodontics. A consequence of the lack of space in the jaw due to a decrease in its size and structural changes in it is the congenital absence of some teeth, usually variable, located in the distal areas of the corresponding class of teeth and more susceptible to the reduction process. These include: I 2, P 2, M 2, and M 3. Over the centuries, the frequency of hypodontics has increased. The increase in cases of congenital absence of M3 and I2 is considered a phylogenetic process (Brabant and Hassar, 1964). Hypodontia I2 belongs to the group of dominant hereditary traits [Andrik et al., 1963]. Differences in the frequency of hypodontia m3 are to some extent of a special nature. This feature is very rare in equatorial groups (Chagula, 1960). It is significant that in the territory of the Armenian Highlands, the frequency of hypodontics of wisdom teeth in representatives of antiquity is higher than in the Bronze Age. The Slavic and Russian series also show an increase in this indicator. According to N. I. Donina (1969), the frequency of hypodontia of wisdom teeth is almost twice as high in Russians (XX century) as in Slavs (IX-XIV centuries)

Figure 1. Epochal variability of diastemes.

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2. Epochal variability of incisor reduction (points 2 + 3).

on the lower jaw and a congenital absence of P 2 and C is much more common. On this basis, the Slavs, Russians and the population of the Armenian Highlands are close to other Caucasians, occupying with them in general an intermediate position between Negroids and Mongoloids. With false hypodontics (retention), the tooth does not erupt, but is located in the jaw bone, which is due to the lack of free space due to the incorrect position of the most retained tooth or its neighbor. The frequency of false hypodontics of incisors in representatives of the Bronze and Ancient eras from the territory of the Armenian Highlands is consistently low [Khudaverdyan, 2005, p. 95-101; 2006, p. 102-110].

Hyperdontia. The vast majority (90 %) of supercomplete teeth are located in the lower jaw and are more common in men (Brabant and Twiesselmann, 1964). Most often, additional teeth are fixed in the area of incisors, less often-lower, upper premolars and, finally, molars. There is evidence that the incidence of hyperdontia has increased over the course of human history, but it has been less pronounced compared to hypodontia [Ibid]. However, our observations (for the Bronze and Antique epochs) and N. I. Khaldeyeva's data on the Slavs (IX-XIV centuries) and Russians (XVII-XVIII centuries) [1992] did not confirm this conclusion. If subjects of the Bronze Age from the territory of the Armenian Highlands have super-complete teeth on the lower jaw with a frequency of 7.7 %, then representatives of the ancient period have not registered a single case. In the Slavs (IX-XIV centuries), the frequency of occurrence of hyperdontia on the upper jaw is 1.89 %, and in the Russians (XX century) this sign is absent. This is probably a consequence of the general tendency to reduce the size of the jaws, defined as a phylogenetic process.

Reduction of incisors. It is expressed in a decrease in the size of the lateral teeth of this class compared to the medial ones. On the upper lateral incisors, crown simplification and reduction begin to manifest themselves from the end of the Paleolithic and become especially intense in the last millennium (Dahlberg, 1945,1963; Brabant and Twiesselmann, 1964). The hypothesis of many researchers about the uneven course of the reduction process is confirmed: the minima and maxima of its intensity in different groups on the territory of the Armenian Highlands fall on different millennia. Reduction of the upper lateral incisor to the peg-like type was rarely observed. A slight increase in the severity of the trait (more precisely, the sum of points 2 and 3) was observed in representatives of the ancient period (Fig. 2). It should be noted that the high frequency of occurrence of reduction of the upper lateral incisor according to score 1 in the groups of the Bronze and Ancient eras is similar. A rather unusual decrease in the value of this marker was found in modern Armenians (crania armenica, XX century). In the Slavs (IV-XIV centuries), the overall average reduction score is 0.14, while in the Russians (XVII-XVIII and XX centuries), it increases almost 4 times, i.e.E. there is a natural tendency to reduce incisors, which is observed in most modern populations (Donina, 1969).

Spade-shaped upper incisors. It is known that it is expressed differently in different races. "While in the east the frequencies were almost unchanged or evolved in the direction of increasing, in the west there was a steady process of elimination of the spade-like gene... This process continues even now, as a result of which the frequency of the spade-like gene is getting lower, increasing the gap between eastern and western populations" [Zubov, 1973, p.106]. Of course, there is also a process that eliminates these differences mainly due to mestizoism. Unfortunately, it was not possible to determine the frequency spectrum of the spade-shaped incisors. The maximum value on the territory of the Armenian Highlands was recorded in the Bronze Age, which was relatively lowered in the I century BC - III century AD. Among the medieval Eastern and Western Slavic groups, a significant range of marker variability was revealed, which determines the presence of different odontological types in them: Krivichi (XI-XIII centuries) - 14.1 %, Northerners - 11.1, polyana (IX-XIII centuries) - 0, Slovene (IX-XIV centuries) - 0, Zedynia (Poland, XII century) - 1.1, Gruzno (Poland, XII-XIII centuries) - 43.2, Izersk (Poland, XI-XIII centuries) - 5.0 % [Graver, 1999; Donina, 1969].

Shape of molars. The total percentage of reduced forms 3+ and 3 on M2 gradually increases by the 20th century (intermediate values are observed in Russians in the 17th and 18th centuries). Thus, the frequency of occurrence of type 3+ increased more than 3 times (9.32% vs. 29.65%) in the 20th century in comparison with the Slavs of the 9th-14th centuries, and type 3 almost doubled (13.47% vs. 7.03 %). On the territory of the Armenian Highlands, a characteristic odontological feature of the subjects of the Bronze Age is a higher for that time period.-

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the frequency of hypoconus reduction on the second upper molar is lower. This feature is relatively rare in representatives of antiquity. Its maximum frequency was observed in modern Armenians (XX century). The data presented indicate a very clear trend towards reduction of the second upper molars.

The number of tubercles on the lower molars. Almost all samples of the Armenian Highlands have a reduced percentage of the sixth tubercle on the first lower molar. Carriers of the Bronze Age culture practically do not have this feature. The maximum value for the studied groups of the Armenian Highlands (5.2 %) was found in representatives of the ancient period. It should be noted that this probably indicates the processes of mestizoization. The frequency of reduced four-humped first lower molars in the groups of the Armenian Highlands varies in the range of 9.92-28.6 % and tends to decrease (Fig. 3). In the Eastern Slavs, a wide range of variability of the trait was noted - from zero values (the absence of Krivichi) up to very high levels in some Slovenes and glades (Grav'ere, 1999, Tables XII-1). The frequency of occurrence of the four-humped second lower molar in the territory of the Armenian Highlands tends to increase. Modern Armenians (XX century) are characterized by a high level of reduction of M2. The Russians (XX century) compared to the Slavs (IX-XIV centuries) showed a marked reduction in the frequency of occurrence of five-tubercled second lower molars (10.49% vs. 16.12%) and, although insignificant, an increase in four-tubercled molars (86.66% vs. 81.75%). On the lower molars, as well as on the upper ones, the direction of transformation along the path of loss of one of the tubercles was revealed, indicating the constant action of the reduction process.

The Carabelli hillock. Some researchers note the instability of this feature over time, since its frequency has increased over the past centuries [Brabant and Twiesselmann, 1964; Donina, 1969]. On the territory of the Armenian Highlands, in subjects of the Bronze Age, the Carabelli tubercle on the first upper molar is relatively rare. Representatives of later times (I century BC - III century AD) are characterized by a high frequency of the trait. The frequencies vary quite unusually in the Armenian groups (20.1-58.8 %). Epochal instability of the trait and a violation in the sequence of ethnic gradient manifestation are revealed. The medieval East and West Slavic groups also have a significant range of variability: Krivichi (XI-XIII centuries) - 58.1 %, Severians - 30.7%, Polyana (IX-XIII centuries) - 35.2%, Slovene (IX-XIV centuries) - 45.7%, Pomerania (Poland) - 15.0%, Isersk (Poland, XI-XIII centuries) - 6.3 % (Graveret, 1999).

Middle additional tubercle (TAMI). According to N. I. Khaldeyeva (1992), this is an ancient epochally stable formation. Its frequency ranges from 1.91-20.0 %. On the territory of the Armenian Highlands, great values are characteristic of the Bronze Age. In the later groups of the first century BC - III century AD, the frequency of this trait is low. It is even rarer in modern Armenians (XX century).

Distal trigonid crest (DTC). Some researchers believe that being an ancient stable formation, it is one of the key diagnostic features. On the territory of the Armenian Highlands from the Bronze Age to antiquity, the frequency of occurrence of DTC slightly decreases, then there is a sharp decrease (XX century).

Form 3 of the first eoconus furrow at M 1. The maximum concentration of fen was observed in the Bronze Age groups. The samples of antiquity and the beginning of the XX century (crania armenica) are close to them in this indicator.

Thus, the set of odontological features is a complex of heterogeneous indicators that allow us to study ethnogenetic and reduction processes. They differ in the degree of epochal conservativeness, intergroup correlation, genetic determination, transgression, or discreteness. The distribution of such features as the spade - shaped form on I1, six-and four-humped forms on M1, DTC, DW, TAMI, 1 eo (3) on m1, and crowding, without taking into account the heterogeneity of groups, can be characterized as partial (insignificant) transgression or its absence, which is taken as a criterion for their differentiating ability. Other signs: Carabelli's tubercle, 2 med (II) on M1, reduction of hy on M2, diastema, etc. - are not excluded from the list of significant components of ethnogenetic analysis and epochal transformations of the dental system. We have noted that changes in the latter are associated with a general restructuring of the physical type of a person. Consequently, we can state a morphofunctional relationship between the transformations of the human skull (brachycephalization, debrachycephalization and gracilization) and its dental system.

3. Epochal variability of the first lower molars (4M1).

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Elements of two canonical vectors

Sign

KV I

KV II

Diastema I 2 - I 1

-0,1265

0,0328

Crowding I 2

0,1524

0,2250

Reduction I 2 (points 2 + 3)

-0,0809

-0,2742

Reduction of I2 (score 1)

0,0960

0,0010

Reduction of hy by M2

-0,2449

-0,3465

Carabelli Hillock on M 1

-0,0569

-0,2366

Chetyrehbugorkovye forms on M 1

0,1998

0,4529

Hexagon shapes on M 1

0,0390

-0,1742

Chetyrehbugorkovye forms on M 2

-0,4855

-0,4315

1 eo (3) on M 1

-0,1085

0,2030

Distal trigonid crest

0,6950

0,2014

Med knee crease

-0,2305

0,7572

TAMI

-0,5667

0,3100

2 med (II) on M 1

0,8415

-0,6301

Total variance, %

65,27886

17,76498

Further analysis should be carried out primarily in the direction of specifying and clarifying the intended trends. Some particular problems for epochs were formulated above. The study of odontology of the Armenian Highland population is based on a chronological sequence of groups. In order to characterize in more detail the degree of difference between the features at the level of the above-marked chronological sections, a canonical analysis was performed. In the first vector (KV I), high positive loads were noted on variant 2 of the second metaconide sulcus, distal trigonide crest, and negative loads on the inner middle additional tubercle on the first lower molar and four - humeral forms on the second lower molar; in the second vector (KV II), positive loads were noted on the knee fold med, four-humeral forms on the first lower molar and negative for variant 2 of the second metaconide sulcus, four-tubercle forms on the second lower molar, reduction of hy on the second upper molar (see table).

In KV I, subjects of the Bronze Age have the lowest values, while representatives of the ancient period have the highest values. In KV II, the minimum values were found in modern Armenians, and the maximum values were found in those buried in Bronze Age burial grounds. Let's consider a cluster scheme constructed by taking into account all the features involved in the canonical analysis (Figure 4). In our material, the groups of the Bronze Age have a certain similarity with the series of antiquity. The most remote cluster of the modern population.

A comprehensive study of the epochal variability of some morphological features of teeth on the territory of the Armenian Highlands serves as a theoretical and practical basis for solving problems of predicting evolutionary processes. The results obtained by us contradict the long-accepted point of view, according to which, starting from the Upper Paleolithic, biological evolution, gradually fading away, practically ceased within the species Homo sapiens. This conclusion is clear: if the sum of social factors increasingly weakened natural selection, then the rate of evolutionary change should have steadily decreased until almost complete elimination of selection. We can record the obvious facts of slowing down the stadial changes in morphological features of the face and skull, but it is wrong to talk about the cessation of the seemingly inconspicuous "work" of stabilizing selection, which maintains the gene pool of the species within the necessary harmony with the environment. In particular, the picture of" stopping " of evolutionary processes in itself already suggests the presence of sufficiently pronounced stabilizing factors. The universality achieved by a person in the process of evolution is the highest value when adapting to any environment, fully ensuring the functioning of the subject in its super-system-society. The study of odontological data has shown that the population of the Armenian Highlands has a very ancient local basis, at least dating back to the Early Bronze Age. Judging from the anthropological data, the ethnic and cultural influences recorded in archaeological and historical monuments were not so strong as to significantly change the process of ethnogenesis of the Armenian people (Khudaverdyan, 2000, 2009). It should be noted that in the studied groups there are certain differences in the complex of traits, but not due to the multidirectional nature of microevolutionary or ethnogenetic processes. Apparently, these ethnic groups differ in the "density" of the network of interacting lines that are the result of local directions of microevolution. Therefore, we should not ignore the epochal changes in the structure of the human dental system that are insignificant for the viability of the species, but interesting and important.

4. Dendrogram of clustering groups of the Armenian Highlands of the Bronze Age (I), the Ancient Period (II) and the modern period (III).

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The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 14.10.09.

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