A N T H R O P O L O G I A HUNGARICA TOME IX. 1970 No. 1-2. Section Ánthropologipue du Musée d'Histoire Naturelle

A SHORT ANTHROPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OP THE FAMILY CEMETERY AT SOPRON-PRÉSHÁZTELEP IN THE IX C.A.D.

I 3y

OLGA L. BOTTYÁN

The sporadic family b u r i a l was a rather common usage i n the second h a l f of the n i n t h century. A s i m i l a r , small family cemetery was excavated by P. TOMKA, archeologist, Sopron, about 3 km east of the cemetery, compris­ing many hundreds of graces,at Sopronkőhida. According to TOMKA's opinion, the family cemetery seems to be rather closely connected, i n regard of i t s archeological objects, w i t h that at Sopronkőhida mentioned above. And by the kind oral communication of archeologist Dr.GY.TÖRÖK, the special b u r i a l usage observed i n the Sopronkőhida cemetery was followed also here.

The family cemetery consists of merely eight graves, those of 3 males and 5 females; according to age: 2-infans, 1 j u v e n i l i s , 1 adultus, 4- matu-rus. Prom an anthropological point of view,the source value of the material i s s l i g h t . The bones are rather fragmentary and incomplete; unfortunately, i t was mainly the f a c i a l skeleton of the skulls which sustained i n j u r i e s , so that only 4 of the 8 crania can be analysed,and that too only sketchily. The s k e l e t a l bones are also partly fragmentary; however, the stature of 6 out of the 8 individuals may s t i l l be evaluated. The findings are deposited in the Museum at Sopron.

Sex and age i d e n t i f i c a t i o n s , were made according to the pri n c i p l e s of the c l a s s i c a l method, with due regard to a l l morphological c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .

The determinations were corroborated also by Dr. I . LENGYEL's biochemical examinations.-*- With respect to the determination of sex, the two methods gave completely i d e n t i c a l r e s u l t s , whereas i n that of age some differences were found i n both positive and negative d i r e c t i o n s . I n dubious cases, I accepted the c l a s s i c a l anthropological age determinations.

General anthropological analysis

The skeletons of merely 4 adult individuals proved to be suitable f o r any detailed metrico-morphological examination. I n my analysis of the ab­solute measurements and indices, I used P.ALEXEIEV - G.F.DEBETZ's (1964) categories ; fo r the evaluation of the long bones I applied R.MARTIN's (1928) method. Stature was determined by N.WOLANSZKI's (1953) nomogram.

The characterization of the évaluable 3 k u l l s i s as follows: Grave 2. Female, aged 30-40 years. Norma v e r t i c a l i s : ovoid, greatest

f c r a n i a l length: long; width : medium. Index: dolichocranial. Frontal p r o f i l e : s t r a i g h t ; o c c i p i t a l region: bathrocranial, lambdoid region: f l a t . Stature: high. Since the character complex necessary f o r type analysis i s missing, the taxonomical assessment had to be dispensed with.

Grave J . Female, aged 50-60 years. Skull: b i r s o i d ; long, wide, index: mesocranial. Temporal p r o f i l e : s t r a i g h t , o c c i p i t a l region: p l a n c o c c i p i t a l. Nasal root f l a t , wide; o r b i t a medium high, narrow, hypsiconch. Stature: me­dium. Owing to the missing f a c i a l data, also d i f f i c u l t to evaluate taxo-nomically; though planooccipitaly is one of the main characteristics of the Dinarid type w i t h i n the Europoide great race, the medium stature and meso-crany contradicts t h i s relegation.

Grave 9. Male, aged 50-60 years. Skull b i r s o i d , l o n g , wide,mesocranial, but at upper l i m i t of dolichocrany. Temporal p r o f i l e : retrogressive. A batrachocranial, f l a t lambdoid region. Orbita angular. Nasal root medium wide,nasal ridge s t r a i g h t . Small medium stature. The elongate s k u l l (batra-chocrany) and the straight nasal ridge are among the characteristics of the Protoeuropoids; the small medium stature precludes any nearer determination of type.

Grave 10. Female, aged 40-50 years. Skull ovoid,long, medium wide, do­l i c h o c r a n i a l . Temporal p r o f i l e s t r a i g h t . Bathrocranial. Very low upper face, angular o r b i t a , narrow but medium high o r b i t a , hypsiconch. Nasal root f l a t and wide. Great medium stature. Taxonomically e x h i b i t i n g a mixture of northern and Cromagnoid B types w i t h i n the Europoide great race.

I am indepted to Dr. 1.LENGYEL, physician, f o r the cession of the data of h i s biochemical investigations.

Type analysis. By the primary taxonomic features, the individuals of the family cemetery are Europoids. Although no analysis of the f a c i a l p r o f i l e could be made owing to the fragmentary and incomplete f a c i a l bones, I found no data c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of the Mongoloidé morphological features. As to the secondary c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , the material i s rather mixed. In the majority of cases, long but medium wide crania p r e v a i l , and they are mostly dolichocranial . Bathrocrany i s also c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of the s k u l l s . The eyes are hypsiconch, the stature vary from small medium to high. I n any case,the presence of northern and CroMagnoid B elements i n the sk e l e t a l material of the family cemetery i s a safe assumption. I n c i d e n t a l l y , the comparative g r a c i l i t y of the entire osteological material i s also observable.

Anatomical v a r i a t i o n s , pathological deformations. There are 8 ossa wormiana i n the sutura lambdoidea of the i n d i v i d u a l i n Grave 2 . On the s k u l l s found i n Graves 7 and 10, a transverse depression occurs above the sutura coronalis at the l e v e l of the porion-porion; i n my opinion i t cannot unequivocally brought i n connection wi t h a r t i f i c i a l deformations. A medium intense exostosis i s discernible on the r i g h t and l e f t femora of Grave 9.

Evaluation of the skeletal bones. Since also the skeletal bones are fragmentary, the determination of stature by the long bones i s based on a single datum i n two of the cases, on two data i n three cases, and on three data i n one case. A l l other measurement data could be taken only incomple­t e l y . The index of femoral platymery could be calculated i n four skeletons. Sexual dimorphism i s rather expressed there,insofar as the femur of Grave 2 i s platymerous (79.8), that of Grave 4 eurymerous (89.4), that of Grave 10 platymerous ( 7 2.9). On the other hand, the male i n d i v i d u a l of Grave 9 had a very weak musculature, being platymerous with the value 81.8. The humeral and t i b i a l indices could not be established owing to the incomplete data.

On the p o s s i b i l i t y of family relationships. Though, according to ar­cheologist P. TOMKA, the findings originate from a family cemetery, the anthropological proof of relationship connections i s highly d o u b t f u l . S t i l l , some morphological chara c t e r i s t i c s reveal certain similarities.The skeleton of Grave 9 may, f o r example, be considered the remains of the "head of the family", since some features of the mature i n d i v i d u a l appear on the ske­letons of the younger generation, e.g. the narrow and medium wide crania as w e l l as bathrocrany. The mature female of Grave 7 might have been the „wife" of the male buried i n Grave 9; some of her characteristic features reappear on t h e i r o f f s p r i n g : the hypsiconch eyes and the f l a t and wide nasal root. According to also the cemetery map, Graves 7 and 9 were l y i n g along­side one another. (Oral communication of the excavating archeologist.) In the opinion of also the physician conducting the biochemical investigation, the mature individuals may have been the parents and the others t h e i r d i ­rect descendants.

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The problem of ethnics

I f the ethnic composition of the population i n the Western Transdanu-bia of the ninth century be examined, the following c o n s t i t u t i n g elements may be found to have survived i n the Avar Period: Germanic, Bolgarian-Tur-k l s h , and Slavic. The ethnic elements p a r t i c i p a t i n g i n the composition of the anthropological picture, w i t h respect to the small family cemetery deriving from the n i n t h century, also remain to be c l a r i f i e d .

I f the problem i s approached from a l i n g u i s t i c point of view,the names of l o c a l i t i e s and natural bodies of water imply that the Slavs formed a narrower layer i n Upper Pannónia i n the n i n t h century than i n Lower Pannó­n i a . I t i s also established that p r i o r to the Hungarian Conquest, there l i v e d Pranks and Bavarians, aside of the few Slavs, i n the neighbourhood of Sopron (KNIEZSA, 1938).

H i s t o r i c a l investigations evince that the Transdanubian region west of the River Rába had had nearer connections wi t h the Prankish Empire than wit h the Great Moravian one. The weapons found i n the cemetery at Sopronkő­hida from the n i n t h century emphasize the Prankonian strategic role of the settlement, while the rest of the archeological material refers to a mixed Avar- Slav- Prank population.The settlement had therefore probably belonged to the so-called Avar Province established by Charles the Great; also, the c o n s t i t u t i n g population had to give m i l i t a r y service (SÓS, 1967).

On the basis of the related archeological objects, the archeological and h i s t o r i c a l statements r e f e r r i n g to the cemetery at Sopronkőhida can, i n the present case, be applied also to the small family cemetery at Sopron.

Dr.J.NEMESKÉRI worked up anthropologically the cemetery at Sopronkőhi­da and has kindly allowed f o r publication the outlines of his anthropo­l o g i c a l evaluation. His findings can be summarized as follows. Three taxo-nomically delimited groups can be distinguished w i t h i n the examined popula­t i o n : group A, representing 38 per cent of the population, broiip B (40 per cent), resembling group A and d i f f e r i n g only i n the rate of g r a c i l i t y from group C.

„Groups A and B can, c o l l e c t i v e l y , be regarded as v a r i e t i e s of the Mongoloidé great race; they have, as a r e s u l t of an i s o l a t i n g process, pre­served the taxonomically characterizing features i n a special form. The i n ­t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p of groups A and B i s supported also by the comparative ex­amination of the anatomical v a r i a t i o n s . Eight anatomical variations can be established w i t h i n the groups A and B, corroborating genetical connections. The t h i r d group of the population may be assigned taxonomically to the variant CroMagnoid C w i t h i n the Europoide great race... This group i s cha­racterized by d i f f e r e n t anatomical v a r i a t i o n s . " According therefore to Dr. NEMESKÉRI's i n t e r p r e t a t i o n , 78 per cent of the great cemetery can be con­sidered to represent a v a r i e t y of the Mongoloidé great race.

The features of the Mongoloidé great race cannot be observed on the

I n d i v i d u a l Data (Measurements and indices) Grave Number

Sex, Age Martin No

1 Female 20-30

c

Female 30-40

4 Male 18-20

6 Male 0-5

7 Female 50-60

8 Female 0-5

9 Male 50-60

10 Female 40-50

1. (G-Op) - 181 180 182 179 172 186 180 8. (Eu-Eu) - 136 120 130 140 125 148 138

45. (Zy-Zy) - - - - - - - 124 48. (N-PR) - - - - - - - 49 51. (MF-EK) - - - - 38 - - 38 5 2 . O r b i t a l height - - - - 34 - 32 34

. 8 : 1 Lenght-breadth - 75,4 66,7 71,4 78,2 72,7 79,6 76,1 48:45 Upper f a c i a l - - - - - - - 39,5 5 2 : 5 1 O r b i t a l - - - 89,7 - 89,7

Stature (cm) 154,6 161,8 152,5 - 153,2 - 163,6 156,8 Morphoscopic Data Norma v e r t i c a l i s - ovoid ovoid - Birsoid Birsoid Birsoid ovoid Occipital region - Bathrocran - - Planoocc. Curvoocc. Bathrocran Bathrocran Flattening i n lambda region - Plain - - - - Plain Plain Frontal p r o f i l e - Straight - - Straight - Retroflec. Straight Orbita - - - - Rounded - Angular Angular Nasal aperture - - - - - - Anthropin -Root of Nasal - - - - Broad Plain - N. ridge Straight Broad Fossa canina - - - - - - - Shallow Abrasio 1 3 - - 3 - 3 3

s k e l e t a l remains of the small family cemetery analysed herein, hence the anthropological p i c t u r e d i f f e r s from that of the material i n the cemetery at Sopronkőhida. On the primary taxonomical basis they are Europoids, by the secondary c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s an as s i m i l a t i o n of northern and CroMagnoid B elements can be i n f e r r e d . The presence of the Nordic type may indicate the traces of a German ethnicum, while the CroMagnoid B type might be connected as we l l w i t h the surviving autochthonous ethnicum of the Avar Period as wi t h the western Slavic groups.

Though the present, rather small, anthropological material i s i n i t s e l f i n s u f f i c i e n t f o r an exact ethnic r e l e g a t i o n , i t might serve as a f u r t h e r datum to the findings and conclusions heretofore made by l i n g u i s t i c s and archeology.

References

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2. ANGYAL, E. - CS. SÓS, Ä. - IGLÓDI, E. -.NIEDERHAUSER, E. - ANDRÜS, S. -SULÁN, B.: Szláv népek és nyelvek (egységes jegyzet). - 1967, pp.

. 129-130. 3. KNIEZSA, I . : Magyarország népei a X I . században. - Budapest, 1938, (kü-.

lönlenyomat a Szent István emlékkönyvből), pp. 368-462. 4. LENGYEL, I . - NEMESKÉRI, J.: Application of Biochemical Methods to Bio­

l o g i c a l Reconstruction. - Ztschr. f . Morph, und Anthr., 54, 1963,' p. 1-56.

5. LENGYEL, I . : Contribution a l'analyse histologique, serologique et c h i ­mique combinée des os et des dents en archéologie. - B u l l . Group. Int e r n a t . Recherc. Sei. Stomat., 7, 1964, p. 182-206.

6. MARTIN, R.: Lehrbuch der Anthropologie. - Jena, 1928, I - I I I . 7. WOLANSKI, N.: Graficzna metoda obliezania wzrostu na podstawie kosci

dlugich. - Przegl. Anthr., 19, 1953, p. 403-404.