Pásztor Emília (szerk.): Sámánizmus és természethit régen és ma - Bajai dolgozatok 23. (Baja, 2019)

Peter Toth: Rituális tevékenység Szlovákiában a neolitikum és rézkor idején

Ritual practices in the Neolithic and Eneolithic in Slovakia

of the pit were deposited scattered remains of a man, woman, and juvenile individuals in crouched position, a skeleton of a child scattered all around and an arrowhead made of chipped stone. An ash layer was observed in the northern part of the pit. This event was covered by 120 cm sterile layer. There were two skeletons of adult individuals in the crouched position covered with 30 cm thick sterile layer during the second stage. The third stage consisted of putting six vessels and a blade made of chipped stone. Ritual was finished by placing two bowls and amphora. Ritual character of this find assemblage is emphasized by miniaturized pottery (Tocik 1978, 240-241; Pazinová - Bistáková 2013, 158).

A specific set of ritual activities was described in Branc. Usually, a pair of sacrifice pits was situated behind a northern wall of a house. They comprised of pottery fragments, animal bones, charcoal, and ash. Their filling was not compact, but dark layers alternated with sterile loess. It suggests a regular repetition of cult practices probably connected with ceremonies of harvest. Cattle might have been sacrificed on this occasion, as well. It is assumed when a sacrifice pit was filled a smaller one was opened near to the previous one (Vladár - Lichardus 1968, 318-320).

Blood sacrifices in settlement context culminated in the Baden Culture. They are interpreted as communal sacrifices consisting of several large animals (usually cattle) or their parts, human skeletons (mostly women and children) or grave offerings (Horváth 2010; 2012). In Svodin a filling of settlement pit consisted of 3 events. First, the body of an old woman was deposited in an extremely crouched position at the bottom of the pit (depth 95 cm). After that, the body of a young individual and two infants were laid in the middle part of the pit (depth 80-85 cm). A cattle was placed on top of the pit (depth 70 cm; Némejcová-Pavúková 1986, 159-161). Mass burials were discovered in Surany-Nitriansky Hrádok (fig. 29). Numerous individuals (10-12 and 19-25) were deposited in 2 pits. A skeleton of a dog and a hammer-ax were placed in their center. Faces of the deceased show traces of burning (Novotny 1958a, 45-46; 1958b, 98-99). Reproduction of these violent acts suggests a repetition of ceremonial choreography. It is supposed these ceremonies might have been held most probably on the occasion of spring celebrations (Horváth 2010, 72).

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