Horváth Attila – H. Tóth Elvira szerk.: Cumania 4. Archeologia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1976)
Matolcsi J.: Táltosló az Izsák-baláspusztai honfoglalás kori sírban
ological periods and recent breeds), Avar horses and recent race horses. The starting point of the method is the deternination of the quantitative value number (qWZ)that can be obtained through the addition of the values of the seven main measurements of the bone (S m 1 _ 7 ). 26 The values of the bone characteristic (Q), the other hand, can be gotten through the divisons of the individual measurements (m x , m 2 , m 3 , etc.) by the quantitative value (qWZ). This methodological digression was in the interest of the better understanding of the data in Table 5. These latter show how small the qualitative value numbets of both the metacarpal and the metatarsal are, for the bones are not only short but their medio-lateral (breadth) and dorso-ventral (diameter) measutements are small. If we look at the ratios, however, the quotient of the proximal epiphysis breadth of the metacarpal (QBD) * S higher than most of the Avar horses studied in this respect. The bone characteristic calculation, besides thus proving the medium-widelegged nature of the Izsák-Balázspuszta horse, also draws the attention to the fact that the quotient of its proximal epiphysis (Q^prox) * n dorso-volar direction is small while that of the distal epiphysis (Cyclist) is much larger than those of the Avar horses. The metatarsals show similar differences in their proportions, and we can therefore state that the metapodials of the Izsák-Balázspuszta horse fall among the wider ones of the Migration Period. At the same time their proximal end is flatter, their distal end is thicker than the average in dorso-volar direction. The comparatively large transversal dimension of the metapodials can be connected w T ith the sexual characteristic of the animal. We must also touch on the ratios between the metapodials and the phalanges. Comparing the Izsák-Balázspuszta horse to recent horses we can state that its metatarsal is very long in comparison to the metacarpal, but that their ratio corresponds to that of the Migration Period horses. At the same time the relative length of the second phalanges of the foreleg and the hind leg show different ratios (Table 6). It is particularly conspicuous in the case of the hind leg which is longer than the longest know r n second phalanx by 1.4%. 26 MATOLCSI J.: 1970, 92^94. As for the measurements of the hoof-bones (os phalangis III), the 79.3 mm breadth of the left anterior hoof must be mentioned as it is the largest one among all known hoof-bones of the Migration Period. The lack of the other anterior hoof-bone would raise interesting zoological and cultuial historical questions if we were sure that it did not get lost when the grave got disturbed. But for the time being we cannot do better than mention that this bone is missing. From the length of the metapodials we can infer the height of the horse as well. The measurements of the metapodials fall into a group of horses smaller than the average according Vitt's table. 27 The values of the four metapodials are between 129.4 and 130.6 cm, and taking the mean it appears that the horse of Izsák-Balázspuszta had a withers height of 129.8 cm. This is much smaller than what was given by Bökönji as the average withers height of the horses from the Period of the Hungarian Conquest. 28 Nevertheless, this data dosen't make a reliable comparison possible as the withers height calculation by the Kiesewalter quotients 29 result in 10.5% larger values than those of the I 7/7 method. IV. Zoological and cultural historical interrelations Describing the early Hungarian horse of IzsákBalázspuszta as a shaman horse we think in terms of the all-knowing, boisterous, magic horse connected with the shamanistic religion. It is useful to make clear the meaning of this concept, for the shaman (in Hungarian: táltos) horse appears in the folklore as a wildly running, unrestrainable horse. Pais demonstrates the different meanings of the word in a very extensive way 30 but here we refer to the special horse of the shaman from the old Hungarian religion, who is able to make contacts with the supernatural world. Ipolyi was of the opinion in the middle of the last century that both man and horse could be shaman (táltos'J 81 .But in Lás^ló's and others' articles, it appears that in the old Hungarian religion, based on magic, the two belong together, 32 the shaman generally ha27 VITT, V. О.: 1952. 172-173. 28 BÖKÖNYI, S.: 1974, 246. 29 KIESEWALTER, L.: 1889. 20—29. 30 PAIS, D.: 1975,73-108. 31 IPOLYI A.: 1854. (See DIÓSZEGI, V.: ed., 1971, 254.) 32 LÁSZLÓ Gy.: 1944, 376-388. 206
