Anthropological conclusions of the study of Roman and Migration periods

This paper outlines the history and results of the anthropological analysis of the population of the Central Danubian Basin ranging from Roman Period to the 9th century in time. It is very important to emphasize that publications with anthropological description are of vital importance. However, for lack of space, this summary concentrated only on those works that set out to summarize and to compare, or to produce an analysis according to some innovative approach

Paleopathological changes in the Carpathian Basin in the 10th and 11th centuries

The existence of skeletal materials and accompanying archaeological subsistence data recording the shift from nomadic animal husbandary to sedentary agriculture during the 10th and 11th centuries in the Carpathian Basin offers the opportunity to document shifts in the frequencies in various disease categories. On the basis of the data from the literature of the paleopathological cases, skeletal samples representing 714 tenth and 970 eleventh century individuals are grouped for indications of environmental stress: specific disease stress (porotic hyperostosis), infections, traumatic lesions, degenerative arthritis and genetic and/or environment indicators (developmental anomalies). The frequency of lesions in the samples should not be extrapolated to the larger population, but may only be used as an indicator of a trend in the appearance of the diseases. The results suggest some significant shifts for some disease and little change for other diseases during the transition from a nomadic to a more sedentary way of life

The paternal genetic legacy of Hungarian-speaking Rétköz (Hungary) and Váh valley (Slovakia) populations

One hundred and six Rétköz and 48 Váh valley samples were collected from the contact zones of Hungarian-Slovakian territories and were genotyped for Y-chromosomal haplotypes and haplogroups. The results were compared with contemporary and archaic data from published sources. The genetic composition of the Rétköz population from Hungary and the Váh valley population from Slovakia indicates different histories. In the Rétköz population, the paternal lineages that were also found in the Hungarian Conquerors, such as R1a-Z93, N-M46, Q-M242, and R1b-L23, were better preserved. These haplogroups occurred in 10% of the population. The population of the Váh valley, however, is characterized by the complete absence of these haplogroups. Our study did not detect a genetic link between the Váh valley population and the Hungarian Conquerors; the genetic composition of the Váh valley population is similar to that of the surrounding Indo-European populations. The Hungarian Rétköz males shared common haplotypes with ancient Xiongnu, ancient Avar, Caucasian Avar, Abkhazian, Balkarian, and Circassian males within haplogroups R1a-Z93, N1c-M46, and R1b-L23, indicating a common genetic footprint. Another difference between the two studied Hungarian populations can be concluded from the Fst-based MDS plot. The Váh valley, in the western part of the Hungarian-Slovakian contact zone, is genetically closer to the Western Europeans. In contrast, Rétköz is in the eastern part of that zone and therefore closer to the Eastern Europeans

Practising pastoralism in an agricultural environment: An isotopic analysis of the impact of the Hunnic incursions on Pannonian populations

We conducted a multi-isotope study of five fifth-century AD cemeteries in modern-day Hungary to determine relationships between nomadic-pastoralist incomers—the historically documented Huns and other nomadic groups—and the sedentary agricultural population of the late Roman province of Pannonia. Contemporary historical sources describe this relationship as adversarial and destructive for the late Roman population, but archaeological evidence indicates high levels of hybridity between different groups. We undertook carbon, nitrogen, strontium and oxygen isotope analyses of bone collagen, dentine and tooth enamel at Keszthely-Fenékpuszta, Hács-Béndekpuszta, Győr-Széchenyi Square, Mözs and Szolnok-Szanda to examine these relationships through past subsistence practices. The patterns at all sites indicate medium to high animal protein consumption with little evidence for a significant contribution of aquatic resources. All populations relied to a great extent on C4 plants, most likely millet. Within each population, diet was heterogeneous, with significant variations in terms of animal protein and C3 and C4 plant consumption. High levels of intra-population and individual variability suggest that populations made use of a range of subsistence strategies, with many individuals exhibiting significant changes over their lifetimes. Rather than being characterised only by violence, the historically-documented influx of nomadic populations appears to have led to widespread changes in subsistence strategies of populations in the Carpathian basin. Nomadic-pastoralist groups may have switched to smaller herds and more farming, and, conversely, local populations may have integrated with a new economic system based on animal herding.The analytical costs were funded by a research grant from the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. A study visit to Hungary was supported by a SYNTHESYS travel grant

Pre-Dating Paprika: Reconstructing Childhood And Adulthood Diet At Medieval (13Th Century Ce) Solt-Tételhegy, Hungary From Stable Carbon And Nitrogen Isotope Analyses

Between 2005 and 2009, 125 skeletons were excavated from the medieval (13th century CE) Hungarian archaeological site of Solt-Tételhegy. While previous stable isotopic research has examined the diet of medieval European peoples, here we present the first such research conducted on a medieval Hungarian population. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on dental enamel and dentin from first and second molars from 24 individuals to reconstruct their childhood diet, as well as from the rib bones of 21 of the same individuals to reconstruct their adulthood diet. The average enamel δ13C values is − 11.1‰, and the average for dentin δ13C values is 17.4‰. The bone apatite δ13C values have a mean of − 10‰, while the bone collagen δ13C values have a mean of − 17.1‰. These data suggest that C3 plants were the dominant plant type consumed by the majority of the study population, although varying quantities of C4 plants were also eaten, supporting other archaeological evidence that C3 plants were consumed more often than C4 plants in medieval Europe. The dentin δ15N values average at 10.6‰, and the bone δ15N values average at 9.8‰, showing that animal protein constituted a moderate proportion of the diet. Despite signs of status differences indicated by burial location, stable nitrogen isotope values also suggest that the individuals had relatively egalitarian access to animal protein

A Kenézlő-Fazekaszug I-II temetőben feltárt honfoglalás kori népesség táplálkozási szokásainak rekonstrukciója szén és nitrogén stabilizotóp-arányainak elemzésével

A honfoglaló magyar népesség egyik legkorábbi és legjelentősebb lelőhelye a Tisza és a Bodrog által körülvett Tiszazug területén feltárt Kenézlő-Fazekaszug I–II. temető. A középkori európaiak étrendjét már eddig is kutatták stabilizotópos módszerrel, azonban honfoglalás kori népességben ezidáig nem volt ilyen kutatás. Fogzománc (n=18) és dentin (n=17) stabil szén- és nitrogénizotóp-arányainak (δ13C és δ15N értékekben kifejezve) elemzését végeztük el a gyermekkori étrend meghatározására. A zománc apatit δ13C értékei átlagosan -9,5‰-nek, a dentin kollagén δ13C értékei pedig -16,0‰-nek bizonyultak. A dentin kollagén δ15N értékeinek átlaga 11,9‰. Ezen kívül stabil szén- és nitrogénizotóp-elemzéseket végeztünk csont apatiton (n=21) és kollagénen (n=22) a felnőttkori étrend meghatározására. A csont apatit δ13C értékeinek átlaga -11,1‰, a csont kollagén δ13C és δ15N értékei átlagosan -17,0‰ és 11,5‰. Ezek az eredmények azt sugallják, hogy elsősorban C3 -as növényeket fogyasztottak a honfoglalók, a C4 -es növényeket ritkábban. Ezek az adatok alátámasztják azokat a régészeti bizonyítékokat, amelyek szerint a korai középkori Európa étrendjében a C3 -as növények nagyobb szerepet játszottak, mint a C4 -es növények. A δ15N értékek azt mutatják, hogy a honfoglaló magyarok mérsékelt mennyiségű állati fehérjét fogyasztottak, kivéve a felnőtt férfiakat, akik előnyben részesítették azokat. Ez a tanulmány új ismereteket tár fel a magyar honfoglaló népesség étrendjéről