Detailed Analysis of a Trepanation from the Late Avar Period (Turn of the 7th-8th Centuries-811) and Its Significance in the Anthropological Material of the Carpathian Basin

In 2008, 11 graves of a Late Avar period (turn of the 7th-8th centuries-811) cemetery were found in the outskirts of Baracs (in the area of the so called Szitanyi parcel, Co. Fejer, Hungary). The present study discusses the skeleton of a 7- to 9-year-old child with signs of trepanation and argues for possible interpretations based on a detailed macroscopic description. As trepanations performed on children occur very rarely in this period, the discussed example is relevant to both the geographical distribution of such practices as well as their possible methods. The anthropological evaluation and publication of similar small-scale cemeteries may thus be of further importance for general overviews on the period. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.