Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 64. (Budapest 1972)
Wenger, S.: Data to the anthropology of the Avar Period population in Northern Plains, Hungary
Three main centres of the distorted skull finds can be distinguished in Hungary: 1. Near the Roman limes along the Danube and in certain areas in Pannónia. 2. Near the Tisza, in the district of Csongrád — Szentes, and Hódmezővásárhely. 3. Sporadic finds, traceable so far as the upper reaches of the Tisza. The classical forms of distortion are the most conspicuous in the localities along the Danube. Material and method During the excavation works, the osteological material of 133 graves have been exposed from the Avar Period localities given above, that is, the skulls and skeletal bones of 119 individuals, the skull only of 11 individuals, and the skeletal bones of 3 individuals. The material consists of the osteological remains of 13 Infantilis I, 9 Infantilis II, 9 Juvenilis, and 102 Adultus (Table 1). In ascertaining the metric data, I followed MARTIN (1928) and read, according to the state of preservation of the skulls, a maximum of 46 measurements referring to the brain case and the facial skeleton. Nine indices have been calculated. The group frequencies of the main measurements and indices were established according to SCHEIDT (1927) and MARTIN'S grading, respectively. Calculations concerning the means (M), variance (s z ), distribution (s), and variational range (v) were also made. Stature was calculated by recourse to WOLANSKI'S (1953) nomogram, from the measurement data of the long bones. General anthropological analysis On the basis of the mean values, the male skulls are near the upper limit of the medium long category (181.80), they are also medium broad (147.90), high (141.60). The face is wide (142.33), high (124.67), the upper face medium high (73.46). Concerning the mean values of the cranial indices, the index group brachycranial (81.85) characterizes the male skulls (Table 2). By the length - height index, they belong to the hypsicranial group (78.67). The breadth — height index is 96.17, thus the skulls are metriocranial (Table 2). The transversal fronto parietal index is metriometopic (68.89), the face —upper face index mesoprosopic (86.00) and mesen (53.00), the orbital mesoconch (82.60) and the nose mesorrhinous (49.46) (Table 2). On the basis of group frequencies, the main measurements of the male skulls may be evaluated as follows: They are principally moderately long (47.6%). Long — very long are 38.1% and 4.8%, respectively; short are 9.5%. With respect to breadth, the skulls are mostly moderately broad (45%), broad are 30%, and narrow 25%. With respect to height, they are preponderantly high (83.3%), while the occurrence of the medium high character comparatively low (16.7%). The bizygomatic breadth is broad (66.7%) or very broad (33.3%). A high face appears in 60 per cent, moderately high in 40. The frequency of the moderately high upper face is 60%, high and very high are 26.6% und 6.7%, respectively, and low 6.7%. The frequency of the main index groups referring to the male skulls should now be examined. In calculating the cranial index, one finds that the majority is brachycranial (40%) and hyperbrachycranial (30%) ; mesocranial are 20% and dolichocranial 10%. For the length —height index, the group frequency of hypsicranial skulls is 100%. Concerning the breadth — height index, the tapeinocranial and acrocranial skulls show equal proportions (50—50%). With respect to the transversal-fronto 26*
