Bioarchaeology of the Late Avar population from Sarengrad - Klopare: preliminary results

The paper presents the preliminary results of bioarchaeological analysis conducted on the skeletal remains of 46 individuals recovered from the Late Avar cemetery in Sarengrad, eastern Croatia. The obtained results indicate that the Sarengrad population was characterized by relatively high subadult mortality caused by very poor childhood health, which is reflected in the high frequency of subadult stress indicators (cribra orbitalia and linear enamel hypoplasia) and sub-periosteal new bone formation, but also in the occurrence of subadult cases of scurvy. Paleodontological analysis strongly suggests that a large portion of the diet of these people was based on carbohydrates which points to subsistence mostly based on agriculture. A complete absence of perimortem injuries in Sarengrad strongly points to the fact that the inhabitants of this community were exposed to a low level of intentional violence, and that the injuries primarily occurred as a result of accidents. Three cases of maxillary sinusitis could be related to the heating/cooking system (ovens and open fire pits) where prolonged direct exposure to smoke could have led to various respiratory tract diseases such as sinusitis. Finally, the comparison of the Sarengrad sample with other contemporaneous assemblages did not show any major differences, suggesting similar living conditions in the region during the 8th cent.