Folia archeologica 54.

Oravecz Hargita: Újkőkori arcos hombár töredékei Tiszaföldvárról

Ú J KŐKORI ARCOS HOMBÁR TÖREDÉKEI TISZAFÖLDVÁRRÓL 69 nographic record suggests that similar depictions on masks and figurines can be interpreted as the portrayal of individuals who had already departed from among the living, were "beyond death", and had been transformed into "ancestors" or "supernatural" beings (i.e. deities). One striking feature of these depictions -which is also true of similar portrayals found in archaeological contexts - is that they were almost without exception made using an identical technique and in a style specific to a particular culture or region: in the Szakáihát culture, for example, the faces are depicted with incised lines combined with red and yellow painting, and with the M sign around the mouth; the face pots from the Upper Tisza region bear incised designs occasionally combined with black painting, with the forehead decorated with incised linear, curved or geometric patterns, while the vessels of the Esztár culture are ornamented in a similar manner with bundles of crimson or black lines applied before firing. The reason for portraying a face on the vessel, the exact meaning of the depiction and the reason for the often anthropomorphic lower part recalling a stylised human body remains unknown and can at best only be surmised from the ethnographic parallels: it seems likely that they were designed to protect the cereals stored in the jars or were believed to have a beneficial influence on the future harvest, and were thus believed to enhance fertility and avert harm. Translated by Magdalena Seleanu