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

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

the ecological factors of the southern and middle regions of the Tisza-Basin. During the Late Neolithic, during the abovementioned three centuries a considerable part of the cemeteries had been destroyed by repeated floods. According to the wide ranging archaeological investigations (KOREK, 1973a, b), this Late Neolithic population was connected with the aborigen substrate as well as the ethnic groups immigrating from the Balcan. As it is known, the praeauricular-faciocerebral index has been used by DEBETS (1962, 1964) for analysing the poded data of men and women concerning the interareal morphological connections on the Eurasian continent. The subject matter choosen for our investigations required an analysis of these combined six-factor indices obtained from separate male and female craniological series (Table 1, 2). By doing this, the sample sizes of the carriers of the morphological trait-complex will of course be decreased. Besides this, the preservation state of the skulls suitable for studying was variable, that is certain osteo-anatomical parts were damaged. This often resulted in different sample sizes of the various diameters (Table 1, 2). The components of information on the morphological spectrum are therefore variable in the various local groups. Taking into account the abovementioned reduced possibilities, a comparative analysis seems to be acceptable. First of all we have to take into consideration that the contribution of the dolichocranleptomesen component in the Late Neolithic populations from the Tisza-Basin proved to be very significant. The hypomorphic trait (narrow face) characterizes especially the female group. Nevertheless, the full congruence of the facial skeleton width measured on two male and two female skulls from the Tisza-Basin must be noted (Vésztő-Magorihalom and Kisköre-Gát; Table 1, 2). In spite of low sample sizes the established diametrical congruence could not be considered a pure chance, since the relative vicinity of the two localities must be taken into account. The similarity of certain morphological traits existing between the finds from Kisköre-Gát and the southern zone of the Tisza-Basin cannot be explained only on the basis of an intragroup variability. An analysis of the values of the praeauricular-faciocerebral index consisting of six diamètres taken from Meso- and Neolithic series originating from the Tisza as well as Middle Danube Basin, further from East- and West-Europe led to following conclusions. The affinity of the morphological spectrum seems to be very significant between the male series from Kisköre-Gát and the female ones from the southern region of the Tisza-Basin. A similar congruence can be observed between the female series from Kisköre-Gát and the male group from Bandkeramik. A significant analogy exists between the female series from Bandkeramik and the male ones from the southern zone of Tisza-Basin, too. Further, the morphological proximity of the female groups from Kisköre-Gát and the male ones from Cortaillod-Middle-Neolithic must be noted. At last, we have to mention that the morphological spectra of the male series from the southern zone of the Tisza-Basin and that of the female series from the Transdanubian Lengyel culture are relatively close to each other (Table 1, 2). It is none the less important that the female and male groups belonging to the Neolithic population sections excavated in the southern and middle zone of the Tisza Basin have been found to be different within the local groups; these differences are not only connected with sexual dimorphism, but with the abovementioned subcontinental morphological tendencies. Analysing other complexes of traits we have pointed recently to the fact that the massivehypermorphic characters of the Neolithic populations from Eastern Europe are of differential diagnostic significance, contrary to the considerable gracility existing in the synchronous groups of the Tisza-Basin (TÓTH, 1977a, b). On the other hand, we have proposed a working hypothesis concerning the effectiveness of the combined index used in that paper for diagnostizing the northern and southern Europoid components (TÓTH, 1971, 1972). The subcontinental relationships analysed above are indicative of the tribal connections between the