Szekessy Vilmos (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 53. (Budapest 1961)

Nemeskéri, J.: Fifteen years of the Anthropological Department of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (1945-1960)

finds, resulted in respectively as many sources of errors. Consequently, the research workers could, when subsequently evaluating these earlier samples of finds, raise but deHmited problems, which again allowed, in more than one case, the publication of results of but a positivistic nature. In these circumstances, we aimed in the development of the collections of the Anthropological Department at securing whole, representative samples, suitable for a scientific evaluation. We pinpointed all our efforts in the past years to make, as far as possibilities allowed it, "total excavations" in an anthropological sense. By the term total we mean the preservation and deposition in our collections of every skeletal find, irrespectively of sex, age, or quality, unearthed in every grave of the whole cemetery in the given site. For the planned and methodical total excavations, the greatest assistance was given by the understanding and benevolent support of the archeologists, as well as the ample financial means placed at our disposal by our superior authorities. We laid the fundamentals of our menthodical researches in 1945—1950, carrying out the total excavations of eight cemeteries in 1950—1960. The scientific concept of such a development of our collections consisted in the total realization of the biological, historical, and sociological reconstruction. The earlier samples, coming to light from partial excavations, permitted, as I mentioned above, at most a positivistic publication of data or the drawing of only hypothetical conclusions, but were in no way adequate to allow an arrival at results substantiated and complexely verified in biological and sociological respects. With due respect to the composition according to archeological periods and the representative value of the samples of finds originating from the time of J. Jankó and L. Bartucz, we endeavoured to outline from modern points of view the promotion of the historical anthropological collection. During the last 15 years, the historical anthropological collection increased by about 5.000 finds, archeologically authentic as regards both sites and graves. This in itself is more than the total collectings of the preceding 50 years. During the last 15 years, the staff of the Department collected materials at 127 sites, 117 of which were unearthed in 1950—1960. The aims of total exploration and collecting were realized almost entirely in the excavations of the following sites ; Alsónémedi (County Pest), Copper Age ; Polgár-Basatanya (County Hajdú-Bihar), Copper Age, Aeneohthic period ; Keszthely-Dobogó (County Veszprém), Late Roman period ; Sopronkőhida (County Győr-Sopron) 9th century ; Pilismarót-Basaharc (County Komárom), Late Avar period ; Tengelic (County Tolna) 10th—11th centuries ; Hahmba-Cseres (County Veszprém), 10th—12th centuries ; Fiad-Kérpuszta (County Somogy), 11th century. Besides the total explorations, the staff of the Department collected significant, and, from the point of view of evaluation, representative anthropological samples in the following sites ; Budakalász (County Pest), Copper Age ; SzentesVekerzug (County Csongrád), Scythian period ; Szolnok-Szanda (County Szolnok) Gepid ethnic group ; Környe (County Komárom), Germanic-Avar period ; Zalavár (County Veszprém) 9th—11th centuries; Szentes-Borbásföld (County Csongrád), 10 century. On 15th December 1960, the number of items, entered in the inventory books of the Anthropological Department, was 11,517 ; the number of actual finds was 8,745. The difference between the two amounts of items is 2,772. Due to the ravages of World War II and the fire in 1956, 1,812 items were annihilated. Also, the Department transferred as a constant deposit a partial collection of 960 items to the Anthropological Institute of the University in Szeged. Of the collection of 8,745 items, 8,473 (96,9 per cent) originates from Hungary, while 272 items (3,01 per cent) come from abroad (Europe, Asia, Africa, Indonesia). They are mostly skulls. A survey of the historical anthropological collections of the Anthropological Department are given in Tables 1 — 12, grouped according to sites, archeological periods, cultures and itemnumbers.