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

Bernert, Zs.: Anthropological analysis of the Avar Period cemetery of Kereki-Homokbánya

By its skulls this population was long headed, with medium high and high skulls (dolichocran, orthocran, akrocran). The forehead was medium wide (metriometop). Their cranial capacity was medium large to large (euencephal, aristencephal) because of their long, high skulls. Face, upper face and nose were medium wide (mesen, mesoprosop, mesorrhin). Orbital cavities were medium high, short (mesoconch, chamaeconch). Ovoid and pentagonoid were the most frequent cranial shapes, napes were mostly arched. The average stature of women was 156.6 cm, that of men was 164.9 cm. Taxonomically the skulls could be deduced from the mix up of three long braincased, Europid races. Elements of the Nordic, the Cromagnoid, and the Mediterranean races were mixed in them - presumably for several generations. The Nordic type did dominate, it could be found on more than half of all the skulls. "Clear" types occured only in sporadic cases. The origins of those short and wide braincased features could not be identified, which presented themselves in this otherwise expressly unified taxonomical image. The outcomes of palaeodemographic and pathologic analysis presented a population living a peaceful, but poor way of life. The population as an entity was similar to Transdanubian and Upper Northern Hungarian series. Four groups could be separated within the population, the third one of which was similar to Western Transdanubian Avars, while the second group presented similarities to the Avar populations inhabiting Eastern Transdanubia. * Acknowledgements - Our work was supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA grant No. F 026099). REFERENCES ALEKSEEV, V. P. & DEBETS, G. F. (1964): Kraniometria. Metodika anthropologitsheskih isledovanij. [Craniometric. Methological studies on anthropology.} - Nauka, Moskva, 128 pp. BARTUCZ, L. (1929): Über die anthropologischen Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen von Mosonszentjános, Ungarn. - Skythica 2: 83-96. BARTUCZ, L. (1930): Die anthropologischen Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen von Jutas und Öskü. Skythica 4: 1-16. BARTUCZ, L. & FARKAS, Gy. (1957): Zwei Adorjaner Gräberfelder der Awarenzeit aus anthropologischem Gesichtspunkte betrachtet. - Acta Biologica Szegediensis 3: 315-347. BERNÉRT, Zs. (1996): Paleodemográfiai adatok a Kereki44omokbánya temető népességéről. [Paleodemographic data of the Avar-Age population KerekiTHomokbánya Cemetery.] - In: FARKAS, GY., PÁLF1, GY. & MOLNÁR, E. (eds): Honfoglaló magyarság - Árpád kori magyarság. Antropológia-régészet-történelem. [Conquering Hungarians - Árpad Period Hungarians. Anthro-