Kaszab Zoltán (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 76. (Budapest 1984)
Tóth, T.: Some anthropological problems of the Mesolithic Europoids, I.
ANNALES H ISTORICO-NATUR ALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 76. Budapest, 1984 p. 323-334. Some anthropological problems of the Mesolithie Europoids, I. by T. TÓTH, Budapest Abstract — Ecological and palaeoderaographical aspects of Mesolithie populations are outlined on the basis of subcontinental comparison of some craniomorphological characters, with special reference to those of the Central Danubian Basin. With 4 tables. Material and method Recently a number of authors have given increased attention to the interdisciplinary analysis of the Epipaleolithic (Mesolithie) findings of Homo sapiens. Within this framework the correlations existing between certain craniological traits and the alteration of environment as well as the role of food consumption have been evaluated (FEREMBACH 1978a-b, 1979; ROGHINSKY 1974; BUNAK 1980). Some of the authors have pointed out the form modifying effect of increased insolation which manifested itself in the altered craniomorphological traits of the Mesolithie populations (FEREMBACH, ROGHINSKY, see above). Experiments of great importance have been carried out on the adaptive nature of the hypsistenocephaly with an indication to its primary area (tropical zone) (VOLKOVDUBROVIN & ROGHINSKY 1960). The manifold connections between climate, food consumption and population density have been analysed by some authors (DOLUHANOV & HOTINSKIY 1974; DOLUHANOV 1979; ANDRIANOV 1974; BUDUEKO 1977). Studied were the paleodemographical problems of the Mesolithie populations by some other authors, too (ACSÁDI & NEMESKÉRI 1970; ALEXEYEV 1972, 1978; BUNAK 1980; DEEVEY 1960; HENNEBERG 1975). Finally the disharmonie morphological configuration of the facial skeleton (heteroplatiprosopy) which could be observed in the Europoid populations from the Upper Paleolithicum and Mesolithicum have repeatedly been pointed out (YAKIMOV 1957, 1960. 1961; ALEXEYEV 1978, 1979, 1983). The abovementioned interdisciplinary analyses indicated the choice of the subject of the present paper. Because of the supposable genealogy of some morphological characteristics the more recent data from the Late Neolithic Kisköre-Gát have been included into the comparative analysis by author (TÓTH 1972, 1973, 1982). The craniometrical and index data originating from 49 series have been evaluated according to the categories given by ALEXEYEV & DEBETS (1964). Interpretation of results Of the morphological modifications the disharmonie feature of the facial skeleton (heteroplatiprosopy) in the summarized group of Europoids from the Upper Paleolithicum deserves attention, which manifested itself in the values of the nasomalar and zygomaxillar angles of both sexes. As it is known Europoids are characterized by a value of 138 degrees at the orbital level (DEBETS 1961), but for the abovementioned Upper-Paleolithic groups the appropiate values are significantly higher (Tables 1 and 2). It means that for these groups, who lived in the Final Pleistocene a slightly expressed flatness was characteristic for the nasomalar region. Similar values are characteristic for the Mesolithie male and female series from Vassilyevka III and Vlasac as well as fora single male skull from El Wad with a similar chronology. The relative flatness of the nasomalar region is well expressed in the male and female Neolithic findings from Vassilyevka II and Kisköre-Gát, further in the female groups from Lepenski Vir, Ukraine and Zveinieki (Tables 1 and 2). All this deserves our special attention as the abovementioned values are observed among the various subcontinental groups inhabiting the area of Europoids (North-east and Central Europe, Balkan peninsula, East-Mediterranean). From ecological point of view all the localities of these groups are
