Summary.
Examined is skeletal material, mainly cranial, part of which was collected
on the sites of flooded cemeteries in the Dutch province of Zeeland, while
the remainder originates from still accessible brick sarcophagi in the same
province, all of them dating from before ca. 1530 A. D. The results have
been compared with those previously published by De Man, Sasse and
Huizinga. These authors agree that brachycephaly as well as dolichocephaly
have for several centuries been represented in Zeeland. Up till now (Hui
zinga) the problem as to which of these settled there first, has not been
solved, nor has the origin of the brachycephalics been established. Of the
same importance as the average index (82,03 0,935) of the present
material is the analysis of the various regions: the figures tend to confirm
earlier reports by De Man and Sasse to the effect that the inhabitants of
the former island of Noord-Beveland, east of Wijtvliet, were brachycephalic.
Their conclusion that Reimerswaal was inhabited by an anthropologically
mixed population holds good as well, though one may question whether
fifty as the percentage of dolichocephalics (Sasse) is not too high.
On the other hand, our skulls show exclusively brachycephalic indices for
the specimens from Walcheren and Aardenburg (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen), whe
reas De Man was of the opinion that during the period concerned there was
a mixed population. However, one must keep in mind that his figures as
well as ours derive from extremely small groups.
In the range of skull height the Zeeland specimens of the various investi
gations show a middle value, approximate to the figure for Alpines. However,
the average of 126,8 mm calculated for Zeeland skulls from Reimerswaal by
Hagedoorn and Keers is somewhat lower, also in comparison with Frisian
skulls. Concerning skull indices they concluded that Frisian and Zeeland
people each represent different types, both in respect of brachycephaly and
of dolichocephaly.
The following pages contain:
1. Map of localities.
2. Drawings of most of the described skulls, with corresponding numbers
(cf. p. 23—45).
3. Two tables of measurements (in cm) and indices.
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