Observaţii antropologice asupra materialului osteologic uman de la Trifești (jud. Iaşi), datînd din perioada feudală timpurie (secolele XIII-XIV e.n.)

Abstract

Anhhropological observations regarding the human osteological material of Trifeşti dating from the early feadal period (13th–14th centuries A. D.)

The authors analyse 87 inhumated human skeletons found during the excavations effected in 1959 and in 1980 in the feudal necropolis of Trifești, district of Iași. The structure of the studied population as far as sex and age are concerned, reveals an extremely high infantile mortality, calculated for one of the lowest life expectancy, in comparison with other populations living in the same period. From an anthropological view-point, the feudal population is characterized by a brain pan with a well marked mesocran cranial index in the case of male subjects and even a brachycran one as far as female subjects are concerned, with vertical brain pan indices of a hipsicran and tapeinocran type, the eurimetop forehead and the broad and slightly convex occipital bone having an attenuated profite. The face is mezene with a mesocran orbitar index and a mezorin nasal index. They are of middle height and the post cranial skeleton is rather delicate.The typological structure, polymorphous enough, indicates a prevalence of the mediteranoid type that is met in combination with either protoeuropoid features (in the attenuated and more delicate variant) or dinaroid elements, ellipsoid or esteuropoid; a total absence of mongoloid features is evident at the same time. Comparing this typological picture with that of other populations living in the same period we are able to record both a lot of resemblances and some differences; among the latter: the more substantial presence of mediteranoid elements in the series studied here in'comparison with other series, as well as the decrease of the nordoid element an to be mentioned in the first place.