Szekessy Vilmos (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 56. (Budapest 1964)

Tóth, T.: The German cemetery of Hegykő (VI. c.). (A palaeoanthropological sketch)

The German Cemetery of Hegykő (VI. e.) (A Palaeoanthropologieal Sketch) By T. TÓTH, Budapest During the German period of the Great Migration (IV.—VI. c.) new ethnic groups arrived in Hungary. Among them, and aside of the Gepids, the Langobards settling in the Transdanubium might be mentioned as a significant group of the German period; however, they have stayed but for a short time in the area of our country. Still, one cannot forego the question what role the several German ethnic groups (Gepids, Langobards) had played in the ethnogenesis of the early medieval population in the territory of Hungary. Anthropological finds in this respect is, as related to other periods, rather meagre (NEMESKÉRI, 1961). The available publications (GÁSPÁR, 1931; BARTUCZ, 1936; NEMESKÉRI, 1946—48; MALÁN, 1952; LIPTÁK, 1961) also differ as to the amount of skeletons, which fact could not be left out of consideration in the case of an eventual comparison. In the light of these circumstances is the anthropological material to be assessed, found in [he German cemetery in the confines of the village Hegykő near the southern shores of the Lake Fertő (NOVÁKI, 1957), and excavated by BONA (1960, 1961, 1963) in 1959—1962. Both NOVÁKI and BONA date the finds for the second half of the German period (VI. c), considering them, on archeological bases, as the relict of the Langobard ethnic group. Its is also worthy of note that, according to BONA (1963), the cemetery had been completely excavated. In any case, there are available, from the 81 graves of the German cemetery in Hegykő, the skeletal materials of 61 graves, of which the relicts of only 20 grown-up individuals (10 and 10 9?) can be analysed in morphometric details. Let it be noted here that two sporadic skeletons (Inv. No. 11. 684 and 12. 999) were unfit for analysis. The anthropological finds were collected by the present author in 1960—198Í. Short anatomo-morphologieal descriptions Grave 7 (Inv. No. 11.103). A well-preserved skull, with mandibula. Mature male. Characteristical dolicho-acro-orthocrany. Forehead relatively broad, as well as upper face. Nasals and orbitals low. Glabella and protuberantia occipitalis externa as well as linea temporalis weakly developed; tuberculum articulare and processus mastoideus medium developed. Alveolar portion of maxilla prognathous. Abrasio II. Occiput arched. Skull ovoid. Lower angle of facial flatness rather significant (135,7°), but this is in connection with absorption of alveolus incisivi. Calculated stature : 163,4 cm. Composition of characteristics Mediterranean. Grave 15 (Inv. No. 11.111). Female adult skull with mandibula. Basal portion missing, occiput damaged. Parietal region deformed after death. Characteristical are medium long head, medium wide forehead, high total face (Martin 47), leptorhinia and mesoconchia. Facial skeleton strongly profiled. Glabella, linea temporalis, tuberculum articulare, and processus mastoideus weakly developed. Abrasio I. Complete sutura metopica. Occiput arched. Superiorly sphenoid. Angle of ramus mandibulae significant (137°). Mandibula rather massive. Middle tall stature (157,2 cm). Mediterranean. 34 Természettudományi Múzeum Êvk. 1964.