Mikhail Gerasimov (archaeologist)

For the poet with the same name, see Mikhail Gerasimov (poet).

Mikhail Gerasimov on a Russian coin

Mikhail Mikhaylovich Gerasimov (Russian: Михаи́л Миха́йлович Гера́симов; 2 September 1907 – 21 July 1970) was a Soviet archaeologist and anthropologist who discovered the Mal'ta–Buret' culture and 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 emperor Timur (Tamerlane), Yaroslav the Wise, Ivan the Terrible, and Friedrich Schiller.