Biological reconstruction of the Late Neolithic Lengyel Culture

Abstract of PhD thesis submitted in 2013 to the Doctoral School of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest under the supervision of Gyula Gyenis. Between 2006 and 2009 rescue excavations preceding the construction of M6 Motorway were carried out, in the course of which a settlement and a related cemetery of more than two thousand graves of the Late Neo­lithic-Early Copper Age Lengyel culture have been excavated at the site of Alsónyék-Bátaszék, in Southeastern Transdanubia (Tolna county). Present study considers the northern, so-called 010/B part of the site (cemetery), comprising 862 graves. According to the current archaeological consensus earlier Central European Linearbandkeramik culture (LBK) played a crucial role in the formation of the Lengyel culture, but an infiltration or migration of new populations during this time period cannot be excluded. Present dissertation has been designed to investigate this fundamental question. In addition, I completed a detailed demographic analysis and published the frequency data of several pathological and dental alterations. In the course of the still ongoing investigation a case showing the classic symptoms of tuberculosis had been found.</p

Ergebnisse der anthropologischen Untersuchungen zweier spätneolithischer Bestattungen in Alsónyék

2006 wurde auf der Trasse der Autobahn M6 im Komitat Tolna an den Fundorten Alsónyék Nr. 10/B und 11 ein Gräberfeld der spätneolithischen–frühkupferzeitlichen Lengyel-Kultur freigelegt, das im mitteleuropäischen Vergleich die größte Anzahl an Gräbern (etwa 2400 Gräber) aufweist. Die getrennte Auswertung des anthropologischen Materials der zwei Bestattungen wird damit begründet, dass neben den Verstorbenen Gesichtsgefäße als Beigaben deponiert wurden. Nach den Ergebnissen der anthropologischen Untersuchungen der zwei oben vorgestellten Lengyel-Bestattungen von Alsónyék enthielt die eine Bestattung die Überreste eines älteren Kindes, die andere die Überreste einer jungen erwachsenen Frau. Die Knochenreste der erwachsenen Frau sind leider ziemlich fragmentiert und deswegen für eine detailliertere metrische und morphologische Analyse ungeeignet. Der Fund hindeutet auf einen Typ mit langem Kopf (dolichokran) und schmalem Gesicht (leptoprosop) von klein-mittlerer bzw. mittlerer Größe und grazilem Körperbau. A 2006-ban, az M6-os autópálya Tolna megyei szakaszán, Alsónyék 10/B és 11. számú lelőhelyeken kezdődő feltárások eredményeként a késő neolitikus–kora rézkori lengyeli kultúra közép-európai viszonylatban legnagyobb sírszámú (mintegy 2400 sír) temetője került feltárásra. Az alábbiakban bemutatandó két temetkezés embertani anyagának külön értékelését az elhunytak mellé mellékletként elhelyezett arcos edény töredékek teszik indokolttá. Az antropológiai vizsgálat eredményei szerint az egyik sír egy nagyobb gyermek, a másik egy fiatal felnőtt nő maradványait tartalmazta. A felnőtt nő csontmaradványainak rossz megtartottsága következtében a lelet részletes morfometriai elemzése nem volt elvégezhető. Annyi állapítható meg, hogy az egyén valamely hosszúfejű (dolichokran) és keskeny arcú (leptoprosop), kisközepes-közepes termetű, gracilis testfelépítésű típus körébe tartozhatott

A késő neolitikus lengyeli kultúra népességének biológiai rekonstrukciója. | Biological reconstruction of the Late Neolithic Lengyel Culture.

Between 2006 and 2009 salvage excavations preceding the construction of M6 Motorway, a settlement and related cemetery of nearly 2400 graves of the Late Neolithic-Early Copper Age Lengyel culture have been excavated at the site of Alsónyék-Bátaszék, in southeastern Transdanubia. The present study considers the northern, the so-called 010/B part of the cemetery, comprising 862 graves. According to current archaeological consensus in the formation of the Lengyel culture the chronologically earlier Central European Linearbandkeramik culture (LBK) played a crucial role, but can not be exluded an infiltration or migration of new populations during this time period from the south, southeastern. The present dissertation has been designed to investigate this fundamental question, based on the morphometric, taxonomic and craniometric comparative analyses of the human remains unearthed at the the site. In addition, I completed a detailed demographic analysis and publicate the frequency data of pathological and dental alterations

A Starčevo kultúra embertani leletei Alsónyék-Bátaszék lelőhelyről

Anthropological examination of the Starčevo culture graves excavated at the site of Alsónyék-Bátaszék. In this paper the results of the physical anthropological and paleopathological analysis of 25 Early Neolithic (Starčevo culture) graves are presented, which were excavated at the site of Alsónyék-Bátaszék (South-East Hungary). Among them 7 children, 1 juvenile, 6 males, 10 females and 2 adults of indeterminable sex could be distinguished. Due to the low number of the excavated graves, the detailed paleodemographic analysis (e.g. the estimation of the life expectancy at birth, etc.) could not be compiled. The morphometric analysis, the estimated stature and the taxonomic analysis presented a significant heterogeneity, with the dominance of the leptodolichocran gracile Mediterranean type. The systematic investigations of pathological alterations showed a relatively low ratio of traumatic lesions, non-specific inflammations and osteoarthrosis deformans. Beside these, a rare disease was also recorded. On the skeletal remains of three individuals we found morphological alterations that refer to the occurrence of an infectious disease, namely tuberculosis. In the future, it will be necessary to carry out further investigations. If the presence of tuberculosis pathogenes will be proved by molecular biological analyses, these cases will provide the earliest European incidence of this infection

Súlyos, fertőzéses eredetű csontelváltozás előfordulása a Kr. e. 6. évezred utolsó harmadában Versend-Gilencsa lelőhelyén

This article presents a new skeletal infection from the Middle Neolithic (Sopot culture) in the Carpathian Basin from the site of Versend-Gilencsa (6th millennium BC). The site yielded 27 burials from this period. During the biological anthropological and paleopathological examinations, the skeletal remains of an adult male (Grave 1078) displayed lesions: severe cavitation, collapse of vertebrae, hypervascularisation, inflammation on the sternum and periostitis on the long bones. Based on these alterations, the presence of atypical spinal tuberculosis or brucellos infection may be assumed in the community of Versend. The planned paleomicrobiological investigation may confirm the presumed diagnosis

Tuberkulózis nyomai késő neolitikum - kora rézkori magyarországi emberi maradványokban (Alsónyék-Bátaszék, Dél-Magyarország)

Alsónyék-Bátaszék in Southern Hungary is one of the largest late Neolithic settlements and cemeteries excavated in Central Europe. In total, 2,359 burials from the Late Neolithic – Early Copper Age Lengyel culture were found between 2006 and 2009. Anthropological investigations previously carried out on individuals from this site revealed an interesting paleopathological case of tuberculosis in the form of Pott’s disease dated to the early 5th millennium BC. In this study, selected specimens from this osteoarcheological series were subjected to paleomicrobiological analysis to establish the presence of MTBC bacteria. As all individuals showing clear osteological signs of TB infection belonged to a single grave group, 38 individuals from this grave group were analysed. The sample included the case of Pott’s disease as well as individuals both with and without osseous TB manifestations. The presence of TB DNA in the individual with Pott’s disease was established, confirming the occurrence of TB in Neolithic populations of Europe. Moreover, our molecular analysis indicated that several other individuals of the same grave group were also infected with TB, opening the possibility for further analyses of this unique Neolithic skeletal series