Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 10. 1969 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1969)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Éry Kinga, K.: Investigations on the Demographic Source Value of Tomb Stones Originating from the Roman Period. – Vizsgálatok a római kori sírfeliratok demográfiai forrásértékéről. X, 1969. p. 51–67.

INVESTIGATIONS ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC SOURCE VALUE OF TOMBSTONES ORIGINATING FROM THE ROMAN PERIOD It is widely known that the mortality of bygone ages can be learned by studying primarily the skeletal remains. This invaluable source material is, however, not always available in satisfactory numbers from certain historical periods. Perhaps the most unfavourable situation in this regard exists with the Roman period from which there is hardly any extensive skeletal material at hand, owing partly to the local custom of cremation partly to the lack of systematic collecting of research material. On the other hand, there is still extant, from this period, a great number of inscribed tombstones whose data relating to age at death proved to be of value as source material for acquiring information on the mortality of the respective population. Their importance was recognized already in the eighties of the last century, and this material is still subject to intense study by demographers and historians of antiquity

1

. Investigators hold, however, divers views on the source value of the mortality age data as given in the tomb inscriptions. The representatives of the first, one might say classical, view contend — with K. J. В e 1 о с h opening the ranks in 1886, and J. Szilágyi giving the finishing touches in his papers published in 1959 — 1967 — that the age data of the inscriptions are completely suitable for learning the mortality conditions of a given area or social stratum. The advocates of an other view — led by W. F. W i 11c о x in 1937, followed by M. H о m b e r t, С. Р г é a u х, A. R. В и г п , J. С. R u s s e 11, and with J. D. D u 1

K. J. BELOCH, Die Bevölkerung der griechisch-römischen Welt, Berlin, 1886; A. G. HARKNESS, TAPhA.' 27, 1896, pp. 35-72; W. LEVISON, BJ 102, 1898, 1-82; K. PEARSON, Biometrika, 1, 1901 -1902, pp. 261 -264; A. DE MARCHI, Reale Inst. Lombardo di Sei. e Lett., Rendiconti, Ser. 2 1903, pp. 1025-1034; W. R. MACDONELL, Biometrika, 9,1913, pp, 36-80; H. ARMINI, SepulcraliaLatina, Göteborg, 1916; W. F. WILLCOX Congr. Intern. Popul. Paris, 1937, =, 1938, pp. 14-22; M. HOMBERTC. PRÉAUX, Chron. Egypte, 20, 1945,

pp. 139-146; ID.,

Recherches sur le recensement dans l'Egypte romaine, Leiden, 1952; A. R. BURN, Past and Present, 1953, No 4, pp. 2-31 ; L. H. (Louis Henry): Population, 12,1957, pp. 149-152; J. C. RÜSSEL, TAPhS, 48, 1958, Part 3, pp. 1-152; R. ETIENNE, Atti del III. Congr. Intern. Epigr. gr. lat., Roma, 1959; L. MORETTI. Epigraphica, 21, 1959, .; J. D. DURAND, Amer. Journ. Soc, 65,1959-60, pp. 365-373; H. NORDBERG, Acta Inst.

Romani Finlandiae, 2, 1963, Part 2, pp 1-76; K.HOPKINS, Popul. Studies, 20,1966, pp. 245-264. rand bringing up the rear in 1959 — 60 — maintain that the inscriptions are suitable for mortality studies only after divers corrections and restrictions have been effected. A third group, with L. Henry in the vanguard in 1957, followed by K. H о p к i n s in 1966, consider the age data of the inscriptions unsuitable for acquiring information on the mortality pattern of the population. It is evident therefore that several and also opposing views exist with regard to studies in even recent years on the source value of the material under discussion. And although it seems, after Henry's and Hopkins's convincing arguments, that the problem may be regarded as theoretically closed, repeated contributions to the discussion are still timely. Szilágyi has namely published the mortality age data of 43 000 individuals in recent years, more than ever before, to assist mortality investigations, from the European and North African provinces of the Roman Empire

2

; this enormous and well classified material admits a more detailed critical analysis than was heretofore possible. Availing myself of the opportunity, I have examined S z i 1 á g y i' s entire published material from divers demographical points of view and propose to submit the results of investigations in the present paper. Since my work was based on S z i 1 á g y i' s data, his method of presentation of the material should in essentials be outlined. The data, segregated for males and females, are presented per years of age and further subgrouped according to provinces, and within these to settlements; these are again divided chronologically into two groups: centuries A. D. I — II and century A. D. Ill and subsequent IV, VI or VII centuries, and also combined for the entire period. In addition to regional classification, the data referring to the several social strata, occupation, origin and type of name were also grouped separately. Finally, he had calculated the life expectancy (actually the average 2 J. SZILÁGYI, AntTan, 6,1959 pp. 31-243; ID.,

A. Arch. Hung., 13,1961, 125-155; ID., A. Arch. Hung., 14, 1962, pp. 297-396; ID., A. Arch. Hung., 15, 1963, pp. 129-224; ID., A. Arch. Hung., 17, 1965, pp. 309334; ID., A. Arch. Hung., 18, 1966, pp. 235-277; ID., A. Arch. Hung., 19, 1967,

pp. 25-59. 4* 51