Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 101. (Budapest 2009)

Hajdu, T.: Anthropological analysis of the Avar Age people from the Jászberény-Disznózug cemetery (Hungary)

Anthropological analysis of the Avar Age people from Hungary 163 Comparative analysis It is not possible to determine the potential analogies of the Avar Age population from Jászberény due to the few number of measurable skulls and the bad preservation of findings. We can establish that the characteristic features of the Avar Age population of Danube-Tisza Interfluve (the low, medium wide and medium length neurocranium) (ERY 1983) are also characteristic of the examined population on the basis of metrical analysis. Pathological alterations Enthesopathy, which indicates major physical overuse of tendons and muscles (JÓZSA & PAP 1992, JÓZSA et al. 2004), comparatively often occurs. These changes usually affect the heal bones and the kneecap (objects 11, 15, 19, 20, 22, 25, 29, 32, 67, 68 and 88). Some individuals not only have enthesopathies on the above-mentioned bones, but they have that on the iliac crest, on the femur (pectineal line, gluteal tuberosity and linea intertrochanterica), on the tibia (soleal line) and on the bones of forearm (tuberosity of ulnae and radius) (objects 20, 22, 25, 29, 32, 40, 78 and 93). This alteration can relate to overload for a long time of those muscles which were used to horseback riding (NAKANO et al. 2006, PÁLFI 1992JÓZSA & PAP 1996, PÁLFI et al. 1996) Altogether six cases of spondylosis deformans were observed in this series (objects 3, 19, 29, 32, 64 and 73). Nine persons suffered from osteoarthrosis deformans. By four out of nine we noticed inflammation solely on the hip joint (objects 18, 39, 59 and 73). Further five individuals suffered from arthritis in their shoulder joints together with elbow and hip joints (objects 20, 23, 29,40 and 67). The male whose bones were excavated from the object 29 had inflammation on both shoulder joints, but this inflammation was caused due to the fracture of the right clavicle. Only three periostotic cases were found in the material. We observed periostitic alterations at one male (object 25 - both tibiae and femora) and on the skeletons of two children (object 38 - left femur and left radius; object 101 - both femora). Inflammation of periosteum can be set off a lot of cause. It could develop due to strike, overload, burning or possibly the reason of some infectious disease (MARCSIK 1983). Annls hist.-nat. Mus. natn. hung. 101, 2009