Folia archeologica 1-2.

Leszih Andor: Borsodmegyei szkíta leletek

LESZIH: SCYTHIAN FINDS FROM THE COUNTY OF BORSOD 81 We received a characteristic iron axe-adze (Pl. II, fig. 10) in the first years of 1900 from the tenant of Muhi puszta, without any particular data as regards its site except Muhi puszta. This site has continuously yielded finds, which are preserved in the National Museum as well as in the Museums of Miskolc, Kassa and Eger. 1 just wish to mention one clay pot with a handle in the form of an animal, which was excavated by Dr. János Szendrey, who also published a drawing of it.

3 This was beside an urn containing burnt human bones and its top was covered by a dish. It is preserved in the Museum of Miskolc.

4 In the years of 1929 and 1930 the teacher of the parish school, Sándor Huszka, with great care collected the finds from the old Poga, on the border of Muhi puszta, and at present from the Kocsmadomb at the end of the village of Mulii from which the earth was being constatly carried away. These finds he delivered to the Museum. Among them were potsherds and vessels of Hallstatt and La Téne type, evidently the finds of an urnifield, as well as a Vandal bronze spur and a silver denarius of Traianus (Rev: COS VI SPQR). On that spot we had excavated in 1930 and in 1934. In 1937 we saved also the finds which still came to the surface in the course of road-making. The excavation in 1930 was carried out with the financial support of Elemér Kund, ministerial councillor. The dug-up part of the not very high Kocsmadomb, measured from the ruins of the former farm building of the crown-estate at Diósgyőr, is 135 m in length and 30—50 m in breadth. It lies on the right side of the road leading from Onód to Nagycsécs, at the altitudinal point 107. Its part towards the Sajó river is the border of a flood area, and from its steeper south end earth is being carried away. Here occurred the first finds, urns, and it is said, bones too. The area which was first dug up measured 56—60 m in length and 50 m in breadth. The annexed sketch shows the places of the urngraves and the site of the stray finds. The urns were generally 40—60 cm deep below the present surface. It must be said that on the hill had also been originally a settlement from that Age, and as we shal see, they had also buried in it in the period after the Scythians. The description of the finds, enumerated according to the numbers on the plan (Fig. 2): 1. On the ridge of the hill, in the trench driven along the hedge at a depth of 50 cm were four potsherds of the Stone Age decorated with straith and slightly wavy lines. Not far from these were some burnt bones and a terret of bone for reins (Pl. II, fig. 15), of which the upper part is round, flat disc and the lower quadrangular with a hole on each side arid all four joining. The diameter of the upper round disc is 28 mm. (Similar: Arch. Ért. 1929, pl. XVII, figs. 38—39). One metre distant from the terret were four pieces of flint and around them many, tiny, undecorated sherds and a small fragment of the upper part of a pedestalled bowl. It seems that here the remains of the prehistoric settlement mixed with the shattered finds of a Scythian urngrave. 2. URNGRAVE. An inverted large dish, thin-walled and with the rim turning inwards, covered some burnt human bones; the tiny fragments of a smaller thickwalled vessel; the fragment of an iron knife and three iron pieces rusted together. Above the dish was a small piece of flint. 3. URNGRAVE. On a flat oblong stone slab (25 cm long) was a high-handled mug (Pl. II, fig. 16), made on potter's wheel (11 cm high, with handle 13 cm) covered with a dish (Pl. 11, fig. 17, height 11, diam. 19 cm), made likewise on wheel, with inturned rim. A spindle-whorl (Pl. II, fig. 19) without decoration, two fragments of an iron knife and a small flint blade were near them. Around them were four fragments of the rim of a coarse-walled vessel decorated with finger-tip impressions. 4. URNGRAVE. There were the fragments of a coarse-walled vessel reminiscent of a wide flower-pot, and parts of the rim of a thin-walled dish. Thus this vessel had been covered with the dish. Underneath a stone slab was a slightly flattened spindle-whorl (Pi. II, fig. 20) without decoration and an obsidian blade. 5. URNGRAVE. The 30 cm high pouched urn (PL II, fig. 23) was of Hallstatt type with everted rim, and aound its belly deep incisions forming protuberant quadrangular panels. On its neck below the rim are three ornaments consisting of a protuberant ring in the centre of a broad hollowed circle. The urn was full of small burnt human bones. There was no dish beside it, only the small fragments of an entirely broken and not movable little pot. Close to the large urn was an iron knife 25-5 cm long, broken into three pieces and with the remains of the iron scabbard rusted to it. 6. URNGRAVE. On a quadrangular stone slab, measuring 13 cm in length and 11 cm in width, was an undecorated pouched urn (Pl. II, fig. 21, height 24 cm, diam. at the mouth 14 cm). It was covered with a dish (Pl. II, fig. 22, height 7 cm, diam. 24 cm). The urn contained many burnt human bones, the half of an iron knife, 4 cm long, with a small part of the haft (PL If, fig. 24) having a bone mounting decorated with vertical and slanting incisions. The end of the haft is fastend by a bronze plate folded over it and attached to the haft with a rivet. Beside the urn was the fragment of the upper part of a small mug of tlie Hallstatt type, with everted neck and broad high handle (5-5 cm), an iron implement like 6