Provider: Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic

TY  - JOUR
JO  - Anthropologie (Brno)
TI  - Anthropological Study of Mediaeval Cemeteries No. l and No. 3 Near Devnya (Bulgaria)
AU  - Boev P
AU  - Kavgazova L
AU  - Piperkova D
Y1  - 1985
VL  - 23
IS  - 1
PB  - Moravian Museum, Brno, Czech Republic
SN  - 0323-1119
SP  - 69
EP  - 74
KW  - Protobulgars
KW  - Devnya cemetery
N2  - 
N2  - The skeletons from two proto-Bulgarian cemeteries dated to the 8th—9th c., at Devnya are examined. The archeological finds are crarce, and mainly proto-Bulgarian pottery has been found. Necropolis No. 1 reveals burials with cremation, skeletal inhumation and mixed burials. Necropolis No. 2 shows burials with cremation, skeletal inhumation and three kenotaphyons. Few of the skeletons are pseudohockers. Multilations of the lower extremities (cut foot) and also ritually destroyed parts of the corpse have been found in these two cemeteries. Artificial deformation of the head, of macrocephalic type, has been discovered. In the majority of cases it is of a high form: a total of 39.4% of all the skeletons, the percentage for men being 21.7%, for women 18.5% and for children 100%. This also proves the proto-Bulgarian character of the burials and of the ethnic provenience of the skulls.
The racial typology, carried out by the method of Debetz and of Boev, shows a mixed series of the first racial order — Europoid form with Mongoloid admixtures. The racial types of the second order characterize the proto-Bulgarians: besides hybrid Europoid-Mongoloid racial types we find also Turanid racial types. North-Iranic racial types, characteristic for the Alanians, have also been found. This shows that at Devnya were present besides proto-Bulgarians also Alano-Sarmatians whose mixed breeding had already started. This is probably the character of the proto-Bulgarian tribes comprising Bulgarians and Barsilians with weak Alania admixture.

ER  -