Paleoanthropological data related to the early stages of the formation of the Hungarian People

The ethnogenesis of the Hungarians is complicated and multivalued process, extending in time and area. Some problems of their ethnical history are still under discussion: such as defining a place of historical origin (Magna Hungaria), paths of migration of Ugrian (protomagyar) tribes to «new homeland», etc. Paleoanthropological materials as a source of historical data (as well as linguistic, archaeological, historical and ethnographical data) appear to have a special role in solving these problems. This article analyzes morphological interaction between the Hungarians of «the motherland finding period» in the X^th century and the populations Western Siberia and Central Asia of early Iron Age (generally the V^th century BC - the V^th century AD) in order to identify the genetic origins of the Hungarians ancestors. According to craniological data, the Caucasoid component dominates in the anthropological compound of the early medieval Hungarian (magyar) tribes on the territory of the Middle Volga region and the Cis-Urals (Kushnarenko-Karayakup culture, VI^th - XI^th centuries AD), as well as the Middle Danube of the Arpad, described by T. Tot as hypermorphic, proto-Caucasoid (according to V.P. Alekseev described as Pamir-Fergana race), which characterized by a meso-brachycephalic skull, broad face and low proportions with moderate horizontal profiling and well exerted nose. Based on the results of the canonical intergroup analysis for 35 male craniological series (groups), it can be predicated identifying of a wide, territorially spread and ethnically and culturally diverse circle of populations, which are morphologically close to the ancient Hungarians and with which their genetic connections can be proposed. All this complicates the search for more specific eastern (Siberian) ethnogenetic roots of the Hungarians. Probably, summation of physical features (broad faced Caucasoid morph type) of the ancient Hungarian tribes took place on a wide geographical background with many population groups of different ethnocultural and ethnogenetic origins. Perhaps eastern (Siberian) ancestry of proto-Magyar (Hungarian) tribes in a period before the era of the Migration of peoples already were broad faced Caucasian in general. In this context, the problem of a formation of the physical appearance of ancient Hungarians is inextricably intertwined with the problem of the origin of the meso-brachycephal broad faced Caucasian type itself.

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