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The years between 1864 and 1879 have a particular resonance for the history of physical anthropology in Russia. In 1864, Professor of Zoology at Moscow University Anatolii Petrovich Bogdanov (1834-1896) conceived the idea for an anthropological exhibition in Moscow. But it was not until 1879 that his idea became a reality. The years between Boganov's conception of the idea and the realization of the exhibition form the focus of this paper, which discusses this formative period for Russian physical anthropology. During this period Bogdanov established the first association of physical anthropologists and the first chair in anthropology at Moscow University. Also around this time the activities of Bogdanov's Society of Friends of Natural Science, Anthropology and Ethnography made the term anthropology widely popular not only among educated people but also among the lay public. Despite the significance of Bogdanov's contributions to the field of Russian physical anthropology, his name is often ignored and his achievements underestimated by the Russian language literature. The reasons for this oversight are outlined in this paper.

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The present paper deals with the history of faunistic research in the Moscow Governorate in the 19th century Russia and the role played in this research by the Moscow University and affiliated natural history societies, especially the Moscow Society of Naturalists and Society of Friends of Natural Science, Anthropology, and Ethnography. The question is discussed why, in spite of a number of research projects on the Moscow fauna, initiated by these societies, even in the beginning of the 20th century the progress in the field, according to the leading Moscow zoologists, was still insufficient.

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