Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 94. (Budapest 2002)

Bernert, Zs., Csapó, J. ; Eszterhás, I.: Analysis of the anthropological material of Balatonederics Döme Cave

MATERIAL AND METHOD Anthropological analysis When unearthed the skull was still in one piece. However, it was washed down before transported to the museum, and then it broke up, producing numerous fragments. This cranium, broken post-mortem, had to be fastened with glue for anthropological examination. The seriously incomplete post-cranial skeleton was represented by the femurs' distal epiphisis ends, a few pieces of tibiae's diaphisis, the proximal end of humerus, three vertebrae, three fragments of ribs, and one fragment of a shoulder-blade when the material arrived at the museum. Animal bones were also found close to the human skeletal remains. The correlation of human bones was analysed by the macroscopic anthropological observation (ocular inspection) method. When scoring morphological sex we managed to establish 11 anatomical characteristics featuring sexual dimorphisms (ERY 1992). Age at the time of death was measured by the classic age estimation method produced by SCHOUR & MASSLER (1941), FEREMBACH et al. (1979), MEINDL & LOVEJOY (1985), NEMESKÉRI etal. (1960), UBELAKER (1989), PERIZONIUS (CIT. ERY 1992), LAMENDIN etal. (1992). The procedure of MARTIN & SALLER (1957) was applied when scoring measurements and indices. Without long bones we had no way to calculate stature. Cranial capacity was calculated by the method of LEE & PEARSON (cit. ERY 1992). To estimate the time elapsed since the death of the individual we analysed the animal bones found nearby, the pollen composition of soil that stuck to the bones, and the amino acid racemisation processes going on int the bones. Amino acid racemisation analysis We took samples from the skull and from the humerus for the analysis of amino acids. The essence of the analytic method could be summarized like this: the protein contents can be extracted from organic materials - bone in this case. The amino acids making up the protein can be separated, we analysed aspartic and glutamic acids in our present work. It is a well-known fact, that any living organization always builds into itself the L isomers of individual amino acids. These L isomers turn into D isomers with almost constant speed after death. This way the amounts of D amino acids, as well as the ratio of D amino acids to L amino acids can be utilized to estimate time elapsed since death. The practical application of the method based on amino acid racemisation is not described in detail here, because one our co-authors has already published it in several papers (CSAPÓ et al. 1994, 1998). RESULTS After restoring the human remains we could state with considerable probability that they belonged to one individual - on the basis of the colour of bones, their state of preservation, their lesions, and their age specific features. We drew the following conclusions for age: All observable cranial sutures were open both to the internal and external sides. The wear of dental enamel's