Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 87. (Budapest 1995)

Fóthi, E.: Continuity analysis of an Avar population

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Tomus 87. Budapest, 1995 p. 129-135 Continuity analysis of an Avar population by E. FÓTHI, Budapest FÓTHI, E. (1995): Continuity analysis of an Avar population. - Annls hist-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 87: 129-135. Abstract - Three phases were habitually distinguished according to the decorating motives within the Central Danubian Basin. Alattyán cemetery contained characteristic examples of all three periods in its 708 graves. Most archaeologists tend to believe that the different types of ornaments stood for different peoples. Our present analysis intended to find out if anthropological finds did support this theory. A sample of 210 crania representing three parts of the population of Alattyán was scored for 19 non-metric cranial traits, stature, body weight, body proportions in order to generate biological distances of these groups. Oral pathological condition (caries, abscesses, premortem lost teeth, enamel hypoplasia), the frequency of cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis were also examined as indicators of diet and way of life. It was found that the three groups presented negligible differences. The differences of the graves within any given period's group are larger than the differences of the groups themselves. With 2 figures and 6 tables. INTRODUCTION The Avar Period of the Middle Danube Basin was traditionally divided into three phases according to the dominant decorative motives. There was an early period (pressed plate technique), a middle one (pressed plate technique but with different motives) and a late one (griffin and tendril ornament made by casting technology). The characteristics of all three could be found on the material of the 708 graves cemetery of Alattyán. Two archeologists (KOVRIG 1963 and BÖHME 1965) analyzed the topographical distribution of grave goods within the chart of the cemetery. Both of them reached the same conclusion: there is no even distribution and so this population was made up of groups with different material cultures. KOVRIG went a step further when she stated that these groups originated from several chronologic phases within the Avar Period. I utilized her classification and chart as starting points for the present analysis. She evidently subdivided the late, third, period into four subsections (Fig. 1). Most archeologists tend to take it for granted that the differences of ornaments meant the presence of different peoples. According to this line of thought the early period could correspond to the conquering Avars, while the middle and late periods both indicated the occurrence of some new population elements. The purpose of the present analysis was to establish if the anthropological material supported this theory. Anthropological material of Alattyán-Tulát cemetery was elaborated by WENGER (1957) and LlPTÁK (1963). In this study a sample of 210 crania representing three parts of the population of Alattyán was scored for 19 non-metric cranial traits in order to generate biological distances of these groups. Systematic cluster analysis was used to show associations within and among the parts of the cemetery. Features of lesser genetic determination like stature, body weight, body proportions were also additionally taken into consideration. Oral pathological condition This study was supported by the Hungarian National Scientific Research Fund (OTKA No. 3161 and 3162).