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Abstract
The Soviet Union, and the Russian Empire before it, have a long history of claims of extraordinary longevity among the population, especially in the Caucasus region. Exceptionally high proportions of centenarians have been reported in the censuses and much publicity has accompanied the announcements of "super-centenarians" living well beyond 150 years. The major question regarding the phenomenon of extraordinary longevity in any region is whether the claims of such longevity are indeed true or, rather, the result of age exaggeration.
This dissertation examines the available Russian and Soviet census and mortality data from 1897 to 1970 in order to assess Soviet claims of extraordinary numbers of centenarians. A detailed analysis of age overstatement in the census data and death registration statistics shows that the long history of longevity claims goes hand in hand with a long history of age overstatement. The extraordinary longevity observed in the Soviet Union is in all likelihood the result of that age overstatement.
