Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 95. (Budapest 2003)

Bernert, Zs.: The anthropological data of Kéthely-Melegoldal cemetery's Keszthely-Culture population

ANNALES HISTORICO-NATURALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI Volume 95 Budapest, 2003 pjx 3J 1 -337. The anthropological data of Kéthely-Melegoldal cemetery's Keszthely-Culture population Zs. BERNÉRT Department of Anthropology, Hungarian National History Museum H1082 Budapest, Ludovika tér 2, Hungary. E-mail: bernert@ant.nhmus.hu Abstract - Anthropological remains of 49 individuals dug up from the 48 graves of the Keszthely-Culture cemetery of Kéthely-Melegoldal were examined. The bone material was extremely badly preserved. Keszthely-Culture covers the archeological heritage of the Southeast-Transdanubian population that lived in an approximately 50 kilometer radius circle around the present township of Keszthely in the 6th—8th Centuries period. A general anthropological characterization of the series, secondary taxonomical analysis are given. With 7 tables and 3 figures. Key words - Physical anthropology, human skeletal remains, anthropological characterization, Keszthely-Culture. INTRODUCTION Keszthely-Culture covers the archeological heritage of the Southeast-Transdanubian population that lived in an approximately 50 kilometer radius circle around the present township of Keszthely in the 6th—8th Centuries period. A very specific set of gravegoods found in graves of females had its most characteristic feature: disc fibulae, stylus needles, basketed earings, snakehead decorated bracelets (KOVRIG 1958, KISS A. 1968). Opinions vary on the origins of this population. KOVRIG and KISS classified them as romanized indigenous inhabitants surviving well into the Avar Period. KISS G. ( 1992) found them to be a late-antic people fragment that migrated to the Keszthely region from the Adriatic coast. Because of the wide variety of archeological concepts paleoanthropology is going to play an important part in the clarification of the origins of the Keszthely-Culture population. The systematic processing of the anthropological material uncovered in Keszthely-Culture cemeteries is a sine qua non of this.