Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 74. (Budapest 1982)

Tóth, T.: Some anthropological problems of the Neolithic Tisza-Basin population

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 74. Budapest, 1982 p. 359-364. Some anthropological problems of the Neolithic Tisza-Basin population by T. TÓTH, Budapest Abstract — Analysed were in this paper sketchily the supposable genealogical (morphological) relationships of the Neolithic populations lived in the Tisza-Basin, with special regard to the period of Tisza culture. With 2 tables. Material and method Recently repeated attemps were made in Hungarian science to synthesize the results of studies on the Neolithic tribal communities which had inhabited the Tisza-Basin. In the first place we have to mention a number of publications by KOREK (1973a-b, 1974) about the Tisza culture representing the late period of the Neolithic; the most important archaeological find-groups and anthropoosteologica! remains from this culture have been excavated by KOREK together with JÓZSEF CSALOG. As it is known, the more abundant human bone finds of the Late Neolithic originating from the southern and middle zone of the Tisza-Basin have been studied by FARKAS(1974, 1975a,b; 1977), LIPTÁK & FARKAS (1967) and TÓTH (1973, 1974, 1977a, b; 1980). Tn these two zones of the Tisza-Basin about 160 Neolithic graves have been excavated, but only about 50 percent of these contingents contained bone finds fitted to be studied. In turn we have to take into account that this find-group originates from the whole Neolithic. Nevertheless, from the palaeodemographical point of view, the best represented period is the Late Neolithic (finds of 65 individuals, from the surroundings of Kisköre, Vésztő, Békés and Hódmezővásárhely). The results of the anthropological publications concerning the Neolithic of the whole Carpathian Basin have been recently reviewed by ZOFFMANN (1980). Author of the present paper has used previously some complex of traits for analysing the Neolithic finds of Tisza-Basin (TÓTH, references cited above) to detect craniomorphological analogies of continental dimensions. He specially pointed out the importance of the adaptation of the combinated praeauricular-faciocerebral index expressing the connections between neuro- and splanchnocranium in evaluating one of the morphological modifications (gracilization) (TÓTH 1971, 1972). In the abovementioned papers this combined index was calculated for the pooled male and female groups with the adaptation of the coefficients of the sexual dimorphism (AJLEXEYEV& DEBETS, 1964) and presented in tabular form (for full description, see TÓTH, 1973). For evaluating the linear and index data published in this paper, the craniometrical categories of ALEXEYEV & DEBETS (1964) were taken into account. INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS The Late Neolithic anthropological contingent (children and adult in total) from the Tisza-Basin made it possible to analyse the demographical circumstances of some local groups (KOREK'S and FARKAS' above mentioned papers) and to draw conclusions about their population density and the length of generation-sequency. Taking into account the archaeologically fixed time limit of the Tisza culture (KOREK, 1973a-b), this sequency lasted for about 300 years, being equivalent to 9-11 generation-periods, in local groups of relatively small sizes, too. Similarly to possibilities offered by the palaeodemographical analysis from the human bone finds originating from the periods of the Tisza culture, the remains of 29 adults (10 men and 19 women) proved to be convenient for a more detailed craniometrical evaluation (Table 1,2). The expected amount of information is therefore limited and connected with