A Kárpát-medence vaskorának népességtörténeti kérdései

A Dunántúlt a kora vaskorban a Hallstatt-kultúra népessége lakta. Halottaikat hamvasztották, így eredetükre, továbbélésükre nehéz következtetni. Ugyanekkor Borsod és Heves megye területén keleti eredetű preszkíták éltek. A szkíták a Kr.e. VII. század közepén érkeztek az Alföldre. A kelták a Kr.e. IV. században érték el a Dunántúlt. Utóbbi három népcsoport embertani szempontból jobban ismert, ugyanakkor átfogó tanulmány a vaskorról még nem született, ami a jövő kutatásának célkitűzése

Tuberculosis in prehistory in eastern central Europe (Hungary) – Chronological and geographical distribution

Tuberculosis (TB) has long been a major scourge of humankind. Paleopathological and paleomicrobiological studies have revealed the past presence of the disease on a large spatial and temporal scale. The antiquity of the disease has extensively been studied in the Carpathian Basin, given its dynamic population and cultural changes since prehistory. These studies, however, have mainly focused on the populations living during the Common Era. The aim of this paper is to present the published and the recently discovered cases of prehistoric TB, from the Neolithic (6000–4500/4400 BCE) to the Bronze Age (2600/2500-800 BCE) Central Carpathian Basin (Hungary). We summarize 18 published cases and present new cases dating to the Neolithic period and introduce 3 newly discovered Bronze Age cases of TB. Despite extensive research, TB has not yet been identified from the Copper and Iron Ages in the Carpathian Basin. Considering the state of TB research, and supplemented by our prehistoric dataset, the spatio-temporal pattern of the disease can be further elucidated, thus advancing future molecular and paleopathological studies. Our dataset offers comprehensive spatial and temporal information on the spread of the disease in the Carpathian Basin, along with a detailed biological profile of the demonstrated cases and extensive paleopathological descriptions of the observed lesions, complemented by photographic evidence. This invaluable resource paves the way for enhanced understanding and progress in the field

More than one millennium (2nd-16th century CE) of the White Plague in the Carpathian Basin – New cases, expanding knowledge

The causative agent of tuberculosis is still a widespread pathogen, which caused the death of ca. 1.6 million people globally in 2021. The paleopathological study of human remains revealed the antiquity of the disease and its continuous presence throughout the history of humankind. The Carpathian Basin has always been a biocultural melting pot, since it has seen several migrations over the centuries, and served as a location of admixture and interaction for numerous populations of different cultures. Thus, this geographical territory is ideal for the examination of the coevolutionary processes of hosts and their pathogens. We aimed to reveal the spatial and temporal distribution of tuberculosis cases excavated inside the borders of Hungary between the 2nd and 16th centuries CE. We established a comprehensive database by collecting 114 already published cases and introducing 39 new cases. The involved cases include those that have been confirmed by different molecular methods, as well as possible infections that were identified based on the presence of macromorphological and radiological alterations. The progress of future molecular and paleopathological studies can be facilitated by our dataset, as it presents spatial and temporal information concerning the spread of the disease in the Carpathian Basin, as well as the biological profile and detailed paleopathological description of lesions illustrated by photo- and radiographs