Folia archeologica 37.

Zsuzsanna Zoffmann: A Tiszavalk-tetesi rézkori temető embertani anyaga

FOLIA ARCHAEOLOGICA XXXVII. 1986. BUDAPEST ANIMAL REMAINS FROM THE FUNERAL CEREMONIES IN THE MIDDLE COPPER AGE CEMETERY AT T1SZAVALK — TETES István VÖRÖS The Middle Copper Age (MCA) cemetery at Tiszavalk-Tetes is situated in the middle Tisza Valley, on the right bank of the Tisza on a crest between Tiszavalk and Négyes, on the banks of Tetes brook. A test excavation was made in the locality by Pál Patay in 1968 following which he made systematic excavations there between 1973 and 1975. An areas of 639 m

2 was excavated. This area contains finds from different prehistoric periods until the Early Middle Ages. The most important discoveries from the excavations was a Copper Age cemetery of 25 graves as well as CA pits next to it. The graves of the Tetes cemetery belong to the socelled transitional phase between the Tiszapolgár and Bodrogkeresztur Cultures; they cover the period of the early Middle Copper Age (eMCA)

1. The archaeological material from the eMCA cemetery and settlement as well as those of the settlement features of the late Middle Copper Age (1MCA) Hunyadihalom Group were studied and published by P. Patay

2. Sixteen of the graves in the Tetes eMCA cemetery contain parts of animals (i. e. animal bones) deposited into the graves as food offerings

3. The exact identification of animal remains will be described below. With the aid of these identifications, it became possible to say which body regions were deposited in the graves as well. This study was thus of use in making comparative archaeozoological study using material from cemeteries of different cultures and also to zoologically characterize the different animal species. The independent zoological and archaeozoological study as well as the comparative evaluation of the animal bone remains of CA cemeteries are still wanting. The animal bone material found in the graves of the Tiszapolgár and Bodrogkeresztur Cultures in the CA cemetery Tiszapolgár-Basatanya was identified by 1 Patay 1978a, 21 - ; Id., 1979, 27-53. 2 Patay 1978a; Id., 1979. 3 The animal bones of graves 2, 23, and 25 as well as the polished wild boar canine and the polished bone tools have already been identified earlier. See Patay 1978a.