ABSTRACT
Human skeletal remains represent frequent finds in archaeological research. Skeletal remains in Slovakia are most frequently found in the form of inhumations in graves from the Stone Age to modern times. During the Early and Late Bronze Age, however, the prevailing burial practice was for cremated remains. In addition, artificially worked bones are rare but very valued finds at archaeological sites. Such bones may have served as cult objects as was most probably the case with the Bronze Age cult mask made from the facial region of a human skull from the site of Silica, Majda-Hraškova Cave (Furmánek et al. 1991: 293; Vlcˇek and Kukla 1959). A special type of anthropological find is attributed to religious practices in the form of human sacrifices, and possibly cannibalism. The evidence for such practices has been found in settlements, for instance in a Bronze Age cult pit near the entrance to the fortification in Spišský Štvrtok (Jakab 1978) or cult objects from the settlements Nižná Myšla (Bronze Age) (Furmánek and Vladár 1995; Furmánek et al. 1991: 293-94; Jakab et al. 1999; Vladár 1977) and Smolenice-Molpír (Hallstatt Period) (Dušek 1974; Dušek and Dušek 1984). Skeletal burials can also be encountered within houses or in their close proximity. There are also some prehistoric sites with non-piously interred human bodies with signs of cuts and blows that might sometimes be related to cannibalism (Ambros 1971; Furmánek et al. 1991: 294). Some finds of human remains in archaeological contexts can be related to unexpected or cata-
strophic death without ensuing burial. One such find is the travertine casting of the neurocranium of a Proto-Neanderthal (105,000 BC) from Gánovce near Poprad (Vlcˇek 1955; Vlcˇek 1958). Another example of these finds is the skeletal remains of victims of wars and interpersonal conflicts. The latter group consists of skeletal remains of victims killed as a result of a military or other conflict. In recent years, archaeological surveys have focused mainly on the exploration of battlefields of the First and Second World Wars (Beeman 2006; Bursa and Ušiak 2004). Physical anthropology is a relatively young discipline in Slovakia. It was introduced in the
period between the First and Second World Wars mainly by medical doctors (e.g., Zdenko Frankenberger and Alojz Ján Chura) who dedicated themselves to anthropological research. The first specialized institute was the Department of Anthropology and Genetics which was founded by Jindrˇich Antonín Valšík in 1957 at the Comenius University in Bratislava. At that time, research mainly focused on developmental anthropology and human variability. At present, the
research interests cover a broader spectrum, including developmental anthropology, anthropological genetics, ergonomics, forensic anthropology and, last but not least, historical anthropology. The scientists specialized in the latter research topic are Milan Thurzo, Silvia Bodoriková and Radoslav Benˇuš, in cooperation with Sonˇa Masnicová (Department of Criminalistics and Forensic Sciences, Police Academy of the Slovak Republic). Their research focuses mainly on population studies of skeletal remains from archaeological rescue excavations. Their research therefore covers conventional anthropological analyses including age and sex estimation of skeletal remains, as well as metric analysis, palaeopathology and kinship studies. Recently, an extensive project with a focus on the health status of Early Mediaeval populations (Benˇuš et al. 1999; Bodoriková et al. 1999; Bodoriková and Urminský 2002; Masnicová and Benˇuš 2001, 2003; Obertová and Thurzo 2008; Thurzo et al. 2002), and a project on the health status of sub-adults from the Bronze Age through to modern times were completed (Benˇuš et al. 2008). The second anthropological facility in Bratislava was also founded by J. A. Valšík. In 1963 the Department of Anthropology of the Slovak National Museum (Slovenské národné múzeum) was established. The current director is Alena Šefcˇáková, and her research interests lie particularly in the field of palaeoanthropology (Sládek et al. 2002; Šefcˇáková et al. 2001; Velemínská et al. 2008). Another anthropological research institute is the Archaeological Institute of the Slovak Academy
of Sciences (Archeologický ústav Slovenskej akadémie vied, or AÚ SAV) in Nitra. At this institute, Emanuel Vlcˇek started his career as an anthropologist in 1951. At that time, the institute was called the State Archaeological Institute and was located in Martin. During his work in Nitra, Vlcˇek described the cast of the neurocranium of a classic Homo neanderthalensis as well as the frontal bone of the Neanderthal skull from Šal’a (Vlcˇek 1955, 1958, 1968). At present, Július Jakab is the leading physical anthropologist at the Archaeological Institute (Jakab 1989; Jakab 2005; Jakab et al. 1999). In Nitra, there is also the Department of Zoology and Anthropology that was founded in 1995 at University of Constantine the Philosopher. Mária Vondráková, Monika Martiniaková and Branislav Kolena work here in the fields of physical anthropology, palaeopathology and osteology (Bauerová et al. 2007; Martiniaková et al. 2007). Two of the smaller anthropological institutes are the Department of Biology at the Uni-
versity of Prešov and the Department of Biology and Ecology at Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica. At the former, the research focuses mainly on the ethnogenesis, somatic characteristics and health of the Romani people. At the latter, Petra Selecká is active in the field of historic anthropology (Selecká 2006). Among the mentioned academic facilities, only the Department of Anthropology of Come-
nius University in Bratislava offers specialized courses in skeletal anthropology. These are namely: anthropological methods including morphology, osteometrics, aging and sexing of human skeletal remains, estimation of ancestry, field research; as well as palaeopathology, human morphology, palaeoanthropology, dental anthropology and taphonomy. Since 1966, the Slovak Anthropological Society (Slovenská antropologická spolocˇnost, or
SAS) is active in Slovakia uniting anthropologists and experts from related disciplines, particularly medical doctors. Since 1998, the Society has published the journal Slovenská antropológia (‘Slovak Anthropology’).
