Biological anthropology-based study of population changes in the Zalavár (Mosaburg) microregion between the Late Avar and the Árpádian Periods

Abstract

Following the collapse of the Avar Khaganate in the early 9th century, Transdanubia first fell under the authority of the Frankish Empire, then in less than a century later the early Magyars conquered the territory. Mosaburg/Zalavár, founded near Kis-Balaton under Frankish rule, was a highly significant regional power centre during both the Carolingian Period and in a large part of the Árpádian Age.

Objectives were (1) to discover by analysing craniometric data how the rapid and radical changes in power, and the birth and history of Mosaburg centre affected the population history and structure in the Zalavár microregion between the Late Avar and Árpádian Age; (2) to provide a general anthropological profile of the 9th and 11th century inhabitants of the former power centre by examining the skeletal material of the Hadrianus Templom site, the largest local cemetery of the studied era.

The Carolingian and the 11th century population of the centre was Caucasoid based on their morphoscopic traits, but around 10% of the skulls in both periods also showed some traits typical for Mongoloids. The average stature in both groups markedly exceeded the contemporaneous mean of the Carpathian Basin. The demographic and skeletal trauma data of the 11th century community indicates that they had a peaceful way of life. In contrast with this, the 9th century males had a less favourable mortality rate than females as early as in the young adult age group, and many of them had weapon injuries, including perimortem ones. This suggests that soldiers were buried in the cemetery, too, and several of them died in battle(s) fought near Mosaburg against the early Magyars before the end of the Frankish rule.

The 9th and 11th century sample of the power centre share very similar craniometric features, thus most of their biological distance-based close analogies overlap. This cranial morphological complex was characteristic mainly in the western half of the Carpathian Basin, where, though presumably with a changing spatial distribution pattern over time, it was already present in the late Roman Period. Close parallels from outside the Carpathian Basin can be found in the ~9th–11th century Moravian and Vienna Basin, and in the Pontic steppe between the Late Sarmatian Period and the 13th century. The geographical roots (ancestors) of the series representing this cranial morphological complex in the Carpathian Basin may point to the Eastern-European steppe region.

The local population in the Mosaburg microregion showed significant biological continuity during the studied period. Postmarital residence in the Late Avar local social system was most probably patrilocal. Most of the inhabitants of the Carolingian Period Mosaburg and its surrounding villages arrived probably from within the region to the newly founded power centre. During the 10th century the appearance of new immigrants can be detected on the territory. However, they could not change the anthropological character of the local community. The common people of the Árpádian Age Zalavár centre possibly originated mainly from those nearby “indigenous” groups of the region that had been affected only temporarily and/or to a small degree by the migration events of the Carolingian Period and the 10th century.