Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 20. 1980 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1983)
Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Éry Kinga, K.: Comparative statistical studies on the physical anthropology of the Carpathian basin population between the 6–12th centuries A. D. p. 89–141.
Fig. 39: Dendrogram showing the analogies of the sample from the Cheptsa river region B) The study of individual series provided the following information concerning the origin of the 22 Avar Period populations. Membership in the same clusters and subclusters as well as close analogies suggest that twenty series may be qualified as populations of eastern origin with great probability. Two series may originate from the Carpathian Basin or from the eastern regions. This geographical distribution may be summarized as follows: a) the population of Madaras probably came from Central Asia ; b) one may also guess that the populations of Adorján, Alattyán, Kecel, Sükösd, Szeged-Fehértó, Szeged-Kundomb, Üllő I and Üllő II also originate from the eastern steppe belt if not from the regions east of Middle Asia; c) the territory between the Dnepr river and the eastern edge of Middle Asia belonged to the steppe belt. It may have been the place of origin of the populations from Ártánd, Backo Petrovo Selo, Homokmégy, Kékesd, Szeged-Makkoserdő and Szentes-Kaján; d) the East European parkland area and the neighboring decidious forest steppe belt may have been the place of origin for the Pókaszepetk, Tiszaderzs, Toponár, Virt and 2elovce populations ; e) the next important territory extends between the Northern Pontic steppe and Western Europe. Thus the populations of Nővé Zámky and Szekszárd-Palánk may have come from there, i.e. the distribution area of subcluster 1/a. A more accurate identification of the place of origin was possible for only five of the samples. It is likely that the populations of Ártánd and Backo Petrovo Selo may have arrived in the Carpathian Basin from the Lower Volga river region and Western Kazakhstan. The 2elovce population may have formed in the Lower Kama river region, while the populations of Tiszaderzs and Toponár may have come into the Carpathian Basin from Moldavia, the Middle Dnepr region and the Northern Pontic region respectively. C) It is worth mentioning from a chronological point of view that the earliest known analogy to these series is from the Iron Age, more exactly from the "Sauromatian" culture of the 7—4th centuries В. C. Unfortunately, none of the series could be traced back to the earlier (Late Bronze Age) period in the steppe belt. D) In only four cases did the analogies discovered during the examinations allow conclusions of an ethnic nature to be drawn. It is likely in the case of the Ártánd and Backo Petrovo Selo that their populations originally came from a "Sauromatian —Sarmatian" anthropological context. The question remains however, as to whether they were representatives of 1—4th centuries A. D. Sarmatian continuity or were the descendants of "Late Sarmatians" who arrived during the Avar Period. Unfortunately the craniological material from the Sarmatian Period of the Carpathian Basin is largely unknown and no answer may thus be given. It may also be supposed that the Éelovce sample represents partly or even entirely an "eastern Finnic" population. The ethnic background of the Chernakhovian culture is unknown. It is not very possible that its inhumations are "eastern Slavic" burials: cremations were characteristic of the mortuary behavior of this ethnic group during the period under study( 8 ). "Eastern Germanic" influence may be suspected however, in addition to the influence of the earlier population which successfully maintained continuity. It is thus possible that the Tiszaderzs and Toponár populations included more or less aboriginal Northern Pontic and "eastern Germanic" elements. At the same time a negative phenomenon should be noticed: none of the Avar Period samples had "western Germanic" analogies. 3. Regional characteristics A) Comparison between place of origin and subsequent habitation areas of the Avar Period series within the Carpathian Basin reveals the following information. Communities which were formed in the steppe belt east of the Dnepr river or which existed in that area for any length of time (Adorján, Alattyán, Ártánd, Backo Petrovo Selo, Homokmégy, Kecel, Kékesd, Sükösd, Madaras, Szeged-Fehértó, Szeged-Kundomb, SzegedMakkoserdő, Szentes.Kaján, Üllő I, Üllő II) may be found, with only a single exception, on the Great Plain of the Carpathian Basin. Apparently, these populations tried to exploit a more or less standard environment which influenced the choice of their habitation areas. Such decision making favored continuity in the form of their subsistence. Thus, when new areas were occupied similarities with the previous environment were of major concern. These efforts are so consistently reflected by quite a number of examples that the Transdanubian site of Kékesd is an outstanding exception. It is so unusual that it leads one speculate whether this population was moved from the Great Plain for some special reason. Supporting this reasoning is a similar tendency. Communities originating from the parkland area and decidious forest steppe belt of Eastern Europe (subcluster 1/a west of the Dnepr river) were found mostly in Transdanubia and in the Northwestern part of the Carpathian Basin (Nővé Zámky, Pókaszepetk, Szekszárd-Palánk, Tiszaderzs, Toponár, Virt, Zelovce). In this group of sites one cannot tell whether the population of the only exception, Tiszaderzs, was originally settled on the Great Plain or was moved to this area by secondary translocation. (8) This point was made by I. Fodor archaeologist who reviewed the manuscript. I would like to acknowledge his useful advises. 102
