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)

with the concurrent anthropological examination of nearly 10.000 individuals. The same field includes the continuation of the investigations on isolated (endogamous) populations (Ivád, County Heves), extended after the war in mainly sociological and medical science directions. Historico-anthropological researches in this time were restricted to chiefly the publication of data, with some few syntheses only. The stage 1950—1956 was marked in essentials by historical anthropological investigations. In connection with the augmentation of the collection of the Department, outlined above, the complex evaluations on the larger samples commenced at that time. Our research workers studied the Avar period, and the several papers presented complex evaluations, stressing ethnogenetic points of view. Especial mention should be made of the research work following the total excavation of the cemetery (11th cent.) at Fiad-Kérpuszta, where from we submitted the complete biological, anthropological, and sociological investigations of the population, with special attention to the common archeological and anthropological (monographical) standpoints. In the working out of the samples of finds originating from the prehistoric or late Roman periods, we also tried to validate concepts assisting ethnical and sociological evaluations. With respect to the conquering Hungarians two principles directed our researches. We methodically published data on the one hand, — to lay the foundations of later syntheses —, and, overstepping the rather close boundaries of historical anthropology on the other, we called attention to some anthropologically discussed problems of Hungarian prehistory on a taxonomical and a historical basis. In our ethnic-anthropological investigations, we continued the serological and immun-biological researches, as well as the genetic study of isolated populations (Bodrogköz, County Borsod-Abaúj). With an eye also on everyday life and practice, we also made some standardizing anthropological survey, acting on various requests. The research workers lent a helping hand, e. g. to the manufacture of ready-made clothes by setting up a scale of measurment proportions, with which the construction of the machines is also improved. The third stage (1956—1960) is mostly characterized by the commencement of complex archeological researches, in contrast with the earlier racial aspects. The transfer of anthropology into the direction of human-biology had necessarily involved the working out of problems in our program which might better justify our historical and ethnical investigations. The earlier — and chiefly classificatory-aspects of historical anthropological researches created, nolens-volens, a situation in which any approach of reality became rather uncertain. Anthropologists had generally a static view of cranial and skeletal finds, and thus evaluations were based on metrical and, to a certain extent morphological analyses. On the other hand, anthropological research of a human-biological trend considers its main task the recognition of change and its process, but this aim can only be attained by methodological investigations which render informations essentially on the course, intensity and effects of the changes themselves. For the sake of understanding biological and ethnical processes, and, in a given case, the structure of a population, the methods of the earlier, classic, anthropology had to be revised. On the basis of this concept, our researches took three directions. By a methodical collecting of data, we determined, on materials of the anatomical theatre, the limits of errors of earlier age-determinations, and in the possession of this information, we set to work out an age-determinatory method based on the four complex age determinating