Introduction The purpose of this article is a differentiated analysis of nanism (from the Greek nanos - "dwarf"). an individual whose skeleton was found in an Early Iron Age burial site in Tuva. Nanism develops in a number of hereditary, congenital and acquired endocrine and non-endocrine diseases. Its main manifestation is abnormally low growth, which does not exceed 130 cm in men and 120 cm in women. The reason for the development of a genetically determined nanism is a deficiency of somatotropic hormone (growth hormone) or, less often, in the formation of growth hormone that does not have biological activity. Such a nanism is classified as hypothalamic-pituitary or pituitary. Sometimes it is caused by insensitivity to growth hormones of the hormone-binding cell receptors of peripheral tissues, which causes constitutional dwarfism in some African tribes. Nanism can develop after a traumatic brain injury, neuroinfection, intoxication, as a result of a tumor process on the hypothalamus. It may also be associated with some genetic syndromes associated with skeletal disorders. With pituitary nanism, the child is born normal, and a sharp growth retardation begins from two to four years. At the same time, the physique remains normal and intelligence, as a rule, is preserved. Few cases of nanism have been described in paleoanthropological collections. They are known in endemic areas of the disease, for example in the Swiss Alps , a high-altitude region with iodine deficiency [Ohrtner and Hotz, 2005]. Among the numerous paleoanthropological materials from the territory of the Russian part of Eurasia, we found the case of nanism for the first time. It is important to establish its etiology, features of its manifestation on the ancient skeleton, and concomitant diseases. The buried person was a representative of the nomadic world of Central Asia, which in itself is important for the reconstruction of social relations in the nomadic environment, allowing for the preservation ... Read more