A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 43. (Nyíregyháza, 2001)

Természettudomány - László Szathmáry–Zsuzsanna Guba: The transition period between the time of the Hungarian Conquest and the early Christian epoch in the eastern part of the Great Plain

A magyar honfoglalás kor és a korai keresztény kor átmeneti időszaka az Alföld keleti részén The transition period between the time of the Hungarian Conquest and the early Christian epoch in the eastern part of the Great Plain The present study makes an attempt of the evaluating the continuity of population history in the eastern part of the Great Hungarian Plain in the 10

th and 11

th century on the basis of the cranial finds found during archaeological excavations in the region and coming from the examined period. The main question is whether there is any difference between the structures of the 10

th century (pagan) and 11

th century (early Christian) populations. The results of the multivariate analysis of the quantitative craniological dimensions support the argument that the change of religion and the foundation of the Christian state may have significantly influenced the change of population structure in the eastern part of the Great Plain. Concluding from the known 8

th and 9

th century cranial finds, we can assume that the basic population may not have played an important role in the transformation of the 10

th and 11

th century population. The further examinations of the present issue may be supported by subsequent historical and archaeological analyses which should include the revision of the chronology of cemeteries. Translated by the authors László SZATHMÁRY Zsuzsanna GUBA Vasvári Pál Múzeum Jósa András Múzeum Tiszavasvári Nyíregyháza H-4440 Pf. 56 H-4401 Pf 57. Debrecen University Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology Debrecen H-4010 Pf. 6. e-mail: szathmary@tigris.klte.hu e-mail: zsguba®.

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