Kovács I. (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 78. (Budapest 1986)
Pap, I.: Some data on the palaeosomatology of 10-12th century Hungarians
differences were the most marked (15.5 kg) between the males and females of Tiszafüred. The women of Tiszalök were 12.48 kg lighter than the men from the same locality. The males of Szabolcs were only 8.45 kg heavier than the respective females. Q indices present similar variances. A larger scale dimorphism of massivity is reflected within the population of Tiszafüred where the Q values of males are higher. Within the Szabolcs series a somewhat smaller value of difference can be found but with an inverted trend. As the Q values of the females are higher —which means that the female group was the more massive. No differences could be found between the males and females of Tiszalök. Discussion As it is evident, the postcranial material of these three cemeteries originating from the same archaeological period show differences. The divergence between the populations of Szabolcs and Tiszalök was also clearly indicated by their cranial series. As the two series excavated in a close geographical proximity of each other, geographical variability probably has nothing to do with the differences found. When compared to the 10th century sample of Tiszafüred, the 10-12th century group of Szabolcs demonstrates a certain degree of decrease in massivity on the basis of differences found in the massivity indices. The question emerges whether may I ascribe these differences to a certain degree of gracilization. Several scholars (DEBETZ, KURTH cit. LOTTERHOF 1977) considered the process of settling down and the turn to tillage as environmental factors which could play some part in the process of gracilization. Are we to look for such a background behind the more marked gracility of the Szabolcs population? Or are we dealing with quite different populations? What conclusions can be drawn from the results of body-weight analysis? As LOTTERHOF (1977) stated, body-weight alone is not suitable for determining the grade of gracility for a given population. What sort of explanation could be given for a large-scale differences found in body-weights? Gene complex has only about twice as much effect in the shaping of body-weight as environmental factors have (TANNER 1962). Therefore conclusions can be drawn as regard the way of life, circumstances and nutritional status of a given population from its body-weight data. Within the series examined the males of Szabolcs had considerably smaller bodyweights though they had the same stature as the males of Tiszafüred. Presumably the reason was their less satisfactory nutrition, especially the consumption of a smaller quantity of full value (animal) proteins. Vegetable and animal remains (HARTYÁNYI et al. 1968, BöKÖNYI 1974, MATOLCSI 1982) also support the fact that the population of the period in question lived on a mixed alimentation (Tables 4-5). Tillage kept on gathering significance beside animal breeding —which kept its importance though its components' role also changed —as settling down and tillage with it became more and more wide-spread. As far as diet was concerned, it meant a constant increase of the consumption of vegetable food and a relative decrease of the intake of full value proteins. Perhaps the alteration of food composition and the changing diet—beside some other factors —could explain the smaller body-weights of the population. It is appropriate to remark here that the state of this population was also less favourable according to the experiences of oral pathological analysis than the state of Tiszafüred one. The worse oral pathological conditions of the Szabolcs population could also be traced back to a lower degree of protein intake.
