A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 1981 (Debrecen, 1983)

Természettudomány - Szathmáry László: The Skeletal History of the Neolithic in the Carpathian Basin

The Mediterranean-like Nagytétény skeletal find (Nemeskéri, 1956) of the Zseliz culture (Pavúk, 1969) does not offer competent information for its classification. The pivotal skeletal finds of the Middle Neolithic in Transdanubia are known from Sopot-Bicske culture (Makkay, 1978). The skeletons unearthed in Bicske-Galagonyás vary on a large scale quantitatively: an earlier continuous hybridization can be observed. Qualitatively, however, they are almost homogeneous and might be deduced to Vlasac „B" — „AB" local antecedents Cro-Magnon-like and Mediterranean hybrids. On the strength of all these it can be assumed that through the slow but continuous development the Transdanubian Linear Pottery population was more homogeneous and its development better balanced than the Alföld Linear Pottery (AVK) population, (cp. Zoffman, 1978b). The anthropological appearance of the eastern and western parts of the Carpathian Basin seems to differ the Early Neolithic onwards. In the western region the characteristics show affinity to antecedents in the southern border areas (cp. the Starcevo finds of Lepenski Vir). West of the Danube the gradual hybridization, east of the Danube the isolation of the Early Neolithic immigrants and the autochthonous of different origin caused the different morphological appearance of the two populations. The agents taking part in the hybridization in Transdanubia may not have differed genetically so much as the autochthonous populations from the immigrants in the eastern part of the Carpathian Basin. The Transdanubian populations better conserved the characteristics of the Late Mesolithic Derdap populations, than the eastern peoples composed of various elements from the very begining. Only the Bükk group may be consisted an exeption, which may have been a fraction of the previous Linear Pottery local population. 4. Late Neolithic The gracile-Mediterranean finds of Vinca-Plocnik culture in the southern part of the Carpathian Basin (Brukner, 1968, Dimitrijevic, 1969) were unearthed in Hrtkovci-Gomolava refer to southern antecedents (Zivanovic, 1977, Zojjmann. 1972—73). The different cultural groups formed in course of the further differentiation of the Danube I. (AVK) populations east of the Danube (Tisza, Herpály, Csőszhalom). No anthropological grouping can be set up since only the Tisza culture (Korek, 1973, Garasanin, 1951, Kalicz, 1970) has yielded skeletal remains: BékésPovádzug (Lipták, Farkas, 1967), Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa-Czukor farm, Megyesbodzás, Öszentiván VIII, Hódmezővásárhely-Kökénydomb-Vörös farm, Hódmezővásárhely-Kökénydomb-Szabó farm, Hódmezővásárhely-Kökénydomb-Kapocsi farm (Farkas, 1975), Szerencs-Taktaföldvár (Szathmáry, 1979c), VésztőMágori hill (Farkas, 1974). Only occasionally do these show the typical features of the Early Neolithic populations either autochthonous or immigrant. One of the reasons of this phenomenon is the appearance and spreadling of exogamy. The role of further southern groups can be felt in the formation of the Tisza population (see: Drontsilov, 1924, Boev, 1972). The typical taxons of this culture are Nordic and Atlanto-Mediterranean (90 per cents; approximately half-andhalf). Almost all the Cro-Magnon elements occur in hybrid formations together with the two former basic variants. The absence of brachycrans is striking. The skeletons may remarkably differ from those of the Bükk isolation. As for the absolute measurements the Tisza culture can be characterized by long and narraw and high or medium-high brain-case, also narrow facial skeleton. Regarding the relative measurements dolichocrania, hypsiccania, acrocrania, eury56