Matskási István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 79. (Budapest 1987)

Tóth, T.: Men and nutrition in the Carpathian postglacial millenia

for plants is affected by some soil factors. Sillanpää analysed a certain variety of wheat as a test plant for the content of some micronutrients (B, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo and Zn) all of which are present in plants as a function of different soil factors: conductivity, pH value, organic carbon content, texture and cation exchange capacity of the soil. Since Sillanpää was specially interested in the secondary deficiencies of micronutrients, he analysed in details the effects of very acid, viz. very alkaline soils on the avaliability of the micronutrients for wheat (SILLANPÄÄ 1982, 1985). The rich literature published recently clearly reflects the determining role of the micronutrients as enzyme-integrants and enzyme-activators in the life-processes in general, and in human nuorishment in particular (PAIS 1984, 1986). Mutual connections existing between food-production and population density have postively or negatively been influenced by the changed equilibrium back-ground of the micronutrients, their deficiency versus abundance in the plants. All of these specialised mechanisms in the food chains have influenced during the past millennia according to the established alimentary bases the healthy condition, productivity, diseases and the chance for survival of the given tribal communities, further their paleosomatical parameters presented in this paper. Concerning the pathological lesions observed on the osteological remains of the skeletalized populations from the past millennia, many authors have drawn attention to the mutual connections between alimentary disorders and bone diseases (osteomyelitis, bone tuberculosis, porotic hyperostosis, different kinds of developmental malformations) (DERUMS 1978; LALLO, ARMELAGOS & MENSFORTH 1977; MARCSIK 1985; ROKHLIN 1965). The somatostructure of human populations which lived in the past millennia has been influenced — independently of the dietary disorders — by the deficiency of micronutrients, whereas their excess might have caused the spoilage of foodstuffs which became toxic. All of these events might have shortened life expectancy, trought on the intra vitam latent lesions affecting osteological and organic characters (not only during postnatal life, but in the intrauterine somatogenesis too). In any case the somatostructural parameters documented in the present paper offer indirect information about the somatic conditions of the human populations which lived during the Carpathian postglacial millennia. In the interpretations of our results it seems to be undeniable — inspite of the careful cautiousness needed for generalization — that stature and body weight both as intraspecific attributes express Man's biospheric bonding. Acknowledgement — The author expresses his sincere gratitude to DR. JÓZSEF KOREK, DR. PÁL PAT AY and to DR. ISTVÁN GAÁL for their advices on the archeology of the Neolithic and Copper Age finds, to DR. ERZSÉBET PATEK and DR. NÁNDOR KALICZ for the same concerning Bronze and Iron Age findings; further to DR. GYULA FARKAS, DR. ANTÓNIA MARCSIK and to ZSUZSANNA ZoFFMANN for making Osteometrie data available, and to DR. ILDIKÓ PAP for the calculations of the stature and body weight data obtained from the presented skeletal contingent. References ALEXEYEV, V. P. (1966): Osteometria. Metodika antropologitsheskih issledovaniy. — Moskva: 251 pp. (in Russian). ALEXEYEVA, T. I. KOVALENKO, V. Yu. (1980): Morfofunktsioalnaia harakteristika postkranialnogo skeleta aziatskih eskimosov. — Paleoantropológia Sibiri, Moskva: 131-153. (in Russian). BARTUCZ, L. (1961): Anthropologische Beiträge zur I. und II. Periode der Sarmatenzeit in Ungarn. — Acta arch. hung. 13: 157-229. BöKÖNYi, S. (1959): Die frühalluviale Wirbeltierfauna Ungarns (Vom Neolithikum bis zur La Tène-Zeit). — Acta arch, hung., 11: 39-102.