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

Fóthi, E.: Continuity analysis of an Avar population

these features within our material (Tables 4-5). No conclusions could be drawn for the first group because the size of the sample is extremely limited. The other two groups have adequate case numbers to analyse. The number of individuals with some sort of dental pathological feature was evidently high at the first sight. When comparing these data to our earlier results (FÓTHI & PAP 1990) it could be stated that both groups fitted into the general image of Avars. However, our present objective rendered more priority to the differences among groups and within groups. The differences of the two groups turned out to be lesser than those within group 3 with all features, without exception. Porotic hyperostosis The next table presents the frequency of porotic hyperostosis (Table 6). Porotic hyperostosis occurred exclusively on the orbits in group 1. Group 2 had seven cases (12.7%) of porotic hyperostosis on the skull. (4 cases on the frontal bone, 2 cases on the frontal and parietal bone, and 1 case on the base of the skull. The mildest that is the porotic form of cribra orbitalia occurred also in seven cases (12.7%), while there were 3 cases (5.5%) of the cribrotic form. Group 3 presented only slight differences. Porotic hyperostosis appeared with 10.4% of all the skulls outside the orbits. 18.9% porotic and 5.7% cribrotic type of cribra orbitalia could be observed in the orbits of this group. The advanced trabecular form was not present at all. When analyzing parts of group 3 the same tendency could be found as with previous characteristics. There were larger differences within the group than between groups 2 and 3. DISCUSSION Very little could be established concerning the early group because of the small number of cases. However, it could be stated that the populations of the middle and late Avar Periods presented only very limited differences. Differences within cemetery sections of any given period were more marked that differences of the cemetery sections. The anthropological analysis presented the cemetery of Alattyán as the burial site of a heterogeneous but for a long time coexisting population. The changes of ornaments could probably result from the development of art or from changes of gold smith's workshops and not from the occurrence of some new population. Of course our analysis could not exclude the possibility of some new ornament or gold smith's method getting into the Carpathian Basin by migration. However, we can state that no markedly different population appeared among the Avar population of Alattyán during the two centuries when they utilized this burial site.