INTRODUCTION

The significant increase in the proportion of elderly groups in most countries of the world which is closely related to the decline in the birth rate and the relative increase in lifespan, has revived interest in the geographical areas of high longevity and in societies and ethnic groups where ageing does not seem to be a social burden and where the old and the oldest seem to be useful for the life of the community. Among these areas, the most famous is the Caucasus – a highly populated mountain region situated between the Black and Caspian Seas. More than 40 national and ethnic groups which live there, with a total population well over 20 million, are officially classified as “longevous” or “longliving” people (Chebotarev, 1973; Chebotarev & Sachuk, 1980; Benet, 1976; Pitskhelauri, 1982; Brook, 1982). This definition is usually based on the claims of the unusually high proportion of centenarians among North Caucasian and Transcaucasian inhabitants (from 30 to 150 per 100,000, which is 10–30 times higher than in the rest of the Soviet Union or in Eastern or Western Europe).

The possibility of some natural environments in the world where for some reason or other people could live much longer and remain more vigorous in old age than in most industrial societies attracts attention not only from those who study the problems of ageing. The information about centenarians and “supercentenarians” is permanently exploited by all kinds of media and often misused for political and even for commercial reasons.