Miklós Kásler - Zoltán Szentirmay (szerk.): Identifying the Árpád Dynasty Skeletons Interred in the Matthias Church. Applying data from historical, archaeological, anthropological, radiological, morphological, radiocarbon dating and genetic research (Budapest, 2021)

CHAPTER THREE – Archaeological, anthropological and radiological data

The fifth (and at the time of this books writing latest) opening of the sarcophagus of Béla

III

and Anne of Antioch in the Matthias Church and subsequent investigations took place on March 17, 2014. When it was sealed, the log placed alongside the rest of the documents in the glass cylinder contained the following quote: “Since the detailed anthropological analysis of the royal couples earthly remains between November 1984 and April 1986, advances in genetics and other scientific fields allow for further study of the only Árpád

Dynasty

burial site preserved in an undisturbed state, and for the individual identification and genetic mapping of the anthropological remains from the royal graves in the Basilica of Székesfehérvár,

which

survived the turbulent tides of history. On this basis, the bones can be placed with appropriate piety in a national place of remembrance” (see Figure 3).

The project was initiated, organized and led by Prof Dr Miklós

Kásler, director-in-chief

of the National Institute of Oncology at the time. At the opening of the sarcophagi, the following persons were present and assisted: Dr Zoltán

Szentirmay

(National Institute of Oncology), Dr Béla

Melegh

(Scientific University of Pécs, Department

of Medical Genetics), Dr Elek Benko and Dr Balázs Mende

(MTA

Liberal

Arts Research Centre, Department of Archaeology), Dr Piroska

Biczó (National

Museum of Hungary), Piroska Rácz (King

Saint István

Museum,

Székesfehérvár)

and

head nurse Dr Éva

Zoltánné Csorba (National

Institute of Oncology). The minutes were signed on April 1,2017 by Dr László

Süllei prebendary,

parson (Matthias Church) and Prof Dr Miklós

Kásler director-inchief (National Institute of Oncology).

In conclusion, we can state that in the course of the current investigations which we initiated, we planned to genetically identify 88