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

incisor in the mandible, 17 vertabrae grown together and a lameness caused by chronic arthritis of a tarsal joint. As we can see the peculatiries of the early Hungarian horse of Izsák-Balázspuszta are different from those that we know from ethnographic descriptions or from those of the Avar shaman hoise of Keszthely. Nevertheless, this fact does not make its shaman horse nature questionable but draws the attention to the fact that the characteristics of the shaman horses cannot be narrowed down to a couple of anatomical anomalies or pathological symptoms. In fact there is only one trait common in the shaman horse characteristics described. The hoise of Izsák-Balázspuszta met the requirements of the peculaiity in every respect in its time. Jugding from the osteological features discussed above this horse could be a rather strange figure with its slanted head and mouth, and its eyes of different position, asymmetric cheek region and tongue which occasionally hung out. It cannot be excluded that the developed biain skull was accompanied by an energetic temperament or nervous nature and strange forms of motion. The abnormities found in the dentition probably made individual moving of the mouth possible. The big crest of the lower first praemolai (Pj) certainly affected not only the wearing of the bit

40 but also made the curbing of the animal more difficult or beyond a certain limit impossible. AU these circumstances together increased the illusion of a magic horse and made this horse very suitable for the role of the shaman horse. Nevertheless in the course of these studies a question arose as to wether the anatomical normalities could be considered enough proof for the shaman horse nature of the Izsák-Balázspuszta individual. This concern turned our attention to the human skeleton of the grave whose anthropological study was carried out by Л. Marcsik.*

1 The results of her study were surprising for the developmental abnormities discovered on the skull of the 18 to 20 year old man pointed to a disproportionately large brain-skull, 40 The ways of use, the mechanical effects of bits, and the forms of early Hungarian bits see in DIENES I., 1966, 208-228. 41 About the results of the anthropological investigation Mrs A. MARCSIK (Department of Anthropology, József Attila University, Szeged) gave me valuable informations for which I express her my warmest thanks. hare-lip, cleft palate and the abnormal position of the upper left canine.

42 Besides these, the sacral bone also showed some characteristics visibly different from the norm. The anthropological conclusions unwittingly reminds us of the formulation cited before : a shaman has to be born. From the corresponding anthropological and zoological results w

T

e may suppose that the grave of Izsák-Balázspuszta a shaman from the Period of the Hungarian Conquest was buried togeTable 6. The ratio of the extremity bones to the metapodials (in percentages) left (s) right (d) Metatarsus III: Metacarpus III Os phalangis I, ant. : Metacarpus 111 Os phalangis II, ant. : Metacarpus 111 Os phalangis I, post.: Metararsus III Os phalangis II, post. : Metatarsus III 119.4 120.0 37.7 37.9 21.6 21.3 30.4 30.4 18.9 18.9 Table 7. 7 'he measurements of the hoof-bone* (in mm) name of measurement Greatest length Dorsal length Greatest breadth left (s) right (d) (a) 62.0 (p) 53.3 54.7 (a) 48.2 (p) 47.0 47.6 (a) 79.3 (p) 71.0 71.6 Breadth of articular surface (a) 45.5 (p) 42.0 42.8 Diameter of articular surface (a) 23.3 (p) 23.0 23.0 Greatest height (a) 37.4 (p) 33.3 32.5 ther her with the head and extremity bones of his magic horse. In forming this judgement there was a very impoitant observation made by E. H. Tóth that the grave was alone with no other grave of the same age in its vicinity.

43 We tend to think that the appearance of a temporal separation probably came from the customs in shaman burial rites of that time. 42 MARCSIK A. : 1976. Cumania IV. 189. 43 I am most grateful to Mrs. E. H. TÓTH for the informations on the circumstances of the recovery of the finds. 208