Buried in mud, buried in clay: specially arranged settlement burials from in and around the Danubian Sárköz, Neolithic southern Hungary - fulltext (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Neolithic of Europe. Papers in honour of Alasdair Whittle. Edited by Penny Bickle, Vicki Cummings, Daniela Hofmann and Joshua Pollard, 2017
The Sárköz, a floodplain along the southern course of the Hungarian Danube, and in more general terms the southern and western parts of Transdanubia, form one of the key regions that witnessed the transformation to sedentary and farming life at the onset of the sixth millennium cal BC. This landscape reflects a great many local and, apparently, irreversible changes with an impact on a vast area of central Europe. In this paper we report on some unusual burials from two of the Sárköz Neolithic settlements and one from the adjacent hills, dating from the sixth to fifth millennium cal BC. Having given a brief general overview of these sites, we will now focus on a few observations which seem pertinent for each of the three sites, in particular, the presence of ‘unusual’ burials within the settlement areas.
In: Bertemes, F.–Meller, H. (Hrsg.): Neolithische Kreisgrabenanlagen in Europa/Neolithic Circular Enclosures in Europe. Internationale Arbeitstagung 7.–9. Mai 2004 in Goseck (Sachsen-Anhalt). Tagungen des Landesmuseums für Vorgeschichte Halle 8, Halle (Saale), 271–309. , 2012
During the last 2o-3o years an unusually large number of archaeological sites has been brought to light in Central Europe. One of the consequences of this has been the publication of numerous, well written reports concerning Neolithic ditch-and palisade systems which have also included detailed typological analyses. Sadly in the Carpathian Basin, however, information about this form of field monument still remains vague.
Early Iron Age burials from Tihany, Hungary.pdf
Dissertationes Archaeologicae, 2017
During 1970-72 two tumuli were excavated near the long-known prehistoric hilltop settlement of Tihany-Óvár. Its significance is reflected by the fact that it was populated from the late Urnfield period to the Hallstatt Age, hence in this sense it is comparable with the most widely known sites of the Early Iron Age in Western Hungary, such as the Somló and the Ság Hill, Szalacska, Zalaszántó, Süttő and Sopron. Contrary to them, however, no burials from Tihany have been entirely published so far. This paper aims to change this situation. The features found under Tumulus I strongly suggest that the comparison between Tihany and the aforementioned sites is well-founded based chiefly on the ceramic vessels and the remarkable structure of the barrow. On the other hand the mound seems to fit into a broader picture of the eastern Hallstatt zone with regard to the burial customs and rituals identified based on tumuli dated to the Ha C2-D1 phases from Styria to the northeastern part of Transdanubia. Secondly, a stone-lined grave is presented. Considering the grave form and the vessels comprising the grave goods it shows an utterly different picture than Tumulus I. Consequently, a certain chronological distance between the two burials seems to be conceivable, i.e. the urn grave seems to date to the Ha C1-C2 phases. In addition, the example of the stone-lined grave raises the question whether other graves besides the tumuli might be reckoned with.
Acta Archaeologica, 2006
In Hungary, prehistoric archaeology, and Neolithic research in particular, has reached the level at which the problems of demography as well as those of social organisation and structure can be more intensively studied, beyond the primary analysis of material culture. 1 This development fits a general research trend pursued across Europe. This qualitative change was, in part, facilitated by guest researchers from abroad, who became involved with prehistoric research in the Carpathian Basin through their personal archaeological projects. Their new approaches have inspired the emergence of a broader view among local archaeologists. 2 On the other hand, it is an indubitable fact that, for a long time, the comprehensive work by János Makkay 3 has remained the benchmark study in the forefront of neolithic research in Hungary that also guided the clarification of demographic and social relations. Makkay's book may be considered a milestone especially, since it directed attention to the importance of settlement history in dealing with these problems. Prior to that time, on the basis of the analysis carried out in the Tiszapolgár-Basatanya cemetery, 4 it had been generally assumed that social questions in Early Prehistory may be dealt with chiefly on the basis of archaeological observations made in burials. To some extent, that attitude has remained influential in connection with the Lengyel culture, its research is concentrated on the analysis of cemeteries within the framework of "sozialarchäologische Forschungen". 5 In addition to the gradual adoption of the interpretive frameworks of the most influential trends in European archaeology (processual, post-processual, cognitive-processual and interpretative archaeology) 6 in Hungary, another development of similar importance must be mentioned: large surface excavations could be carried out * The shorter version of this paper was presented at the conference entitled "(un)settling the using modern techniques. 7 Parallel with these excavations, several field surveys on a regional level facilitated the study of higher levels of settlement history, including the Neolithic Period as well. 8 Meanwhile, an evidently important basis for assessing prehistoric social relations is the availability of comparative archaeological information from the settlements and cemeteries of cultural units investigated. 9 A great variety of the possibilities of analysing the various levels of pathways to power (e. g.: data on mortuary practices, artefacts and settlements) are presented in the theoretical syntheses written by M. Parker-Pearson, 10 B. Hayden, 11 P. K. Wason, 12 and F. McHugh. 13 Another important requirement in studying social archaeology is the availability of a certain chronological framework, as has recently been convincingly demonstrated by J. Müller in relation to the Neolithic of the Middle Elbe-Saale region. 14 Owing to the aforementioned circumstances, the site of Polgár-&VV]KDORPKDVRIIHUHGXQLTXHH[FDYation results 15 . In relation to these, questions of social relations in the Late Neolithic of the Upper Tisza Region can not only be posed, but also discussed in sufficient detail.
Neolithic Archaeology and Soilscapes Körös Area, Hungary
SAA Current Research Online, 2013
For the past several years, an international team of researchers has been investigating prehistoric settlements and human-environmental interactions in eastern Hungary, as part of the Neolithic Archaeology and Soilscapes Körös Area (NASKA) project. Directed by Roderick Salisbury (University of Leicester) and Gábor Bácsmegi (Békés County Museum), the project is examining several small Neolithic settlements and their landscape at Csárdaszállás in Békés County, Hungary. In autumn 2011, the team conducted magnetometer surveys and intensive surface collection over two small Late Neolithic (ca. 5000 BC) settlements, and took an environmental monolith from a nearby defunct channel of the Körös River.
EARLY NEOLITHIC SETTLEMENT AND BURIALS AT ALSÓNYÉK-BÁTASZÉK
The present paper summarizes the first results about the Early Neolithic period of a recently investigated site Alsónyék in southern Hungary, lying along the right Danube embankment. The environmental background and adaptation of the Starčevo Culture here, in the south-eastern edge of Transdanubia, is rather enigmatic in terms of the reasons, why very different habitats were chosen to be occupied by the same cultural group. More than 400 secured features belonged to the Starčevo Culture. The vast majority of the features are pits, varying in size and shape, and also, about twenty ditches or parts of them were excavated. Inside pits, about 60 dug-in hearths were found, some being apparently single ones, others appear in groups. Tubular shaped, longish ovens form the other type of ovens at the site. There are about twenty graves that surely belong to the Starčevo Culture, amongst them burials with oven contexts seem to be quite frequent.