Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 13 (1968) (Pécs, 1971)

Régészet - Makkay, János: The Chalcolithic Male Relief from Villánykövesd and the Earliest Male Figurines in South-Eastern Europa

52 MAKKAY In the last resort we may state the following regarding the Late Neolithic male idols of the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe: a) Their appearance in the Vinca (beginning with Vinca-Tordos Bl), Vadastra I, Gumelnita, Cucuteni and Vinca-Plocnik-Tisza cultures is in full coincidence both as to their dating and typology, and also as to their proportion to the female idols. Though in the archaeological material of these cultures the absolute number of female idols is doubtlessly increased as against the former cultures, we would not explain the larger number of male idols by the greater extension and measure of the custom of producing idols. Surely, the earliest material of the area, the Körös-Starcevo culture and the groups related with it lack any male figurines; this fact seems to harmonize with the circumstance that even the male statuettes which may be interpreted as paredroi disappear after the Early Neolithic period of Anatolia. b) The male figurines with attributes (Szegvár statue) and characteristic shoulder belts make their appearance; in the material known so far this type of shoulder belt is an exclusive feature of male statuettes. This alludes to the fact, however, that the male idols cannot be regarded as a homogeneous group either on a typological basis or as to the subject of the portrayal. c) In some cases we have to distinguish between votive terracottas and cult statues with larger size, with a due allowance to the fact that, as it is generally believed, some ex voto terracottas or forms may be the copies or imitations of the generally larger cult statues. E. g. the Szegvár and Larissa finds were cult statues in our judgment. d) Though relatively rarely, an interesting type, the thinking-dreaming posture occurs too; this evidently possessed a special meaning and perhaps a special purpose. In defining this special meaning more exactly we may not go further than the suggestion put forward by us earlier."'

2 e) Not a single male idol is followed by any circumstance of uncovering, or any connection with an occurrence vhich would enable us to draw a conclusion regarding its purpose, the aim of its production, the meaning of the representation, etc. The role of the Cernavoda male and female statuettes as grave-goods is neither proved nor excluded in our view,

113 but we want to emphasize that the main feature of the situation of the male statuette, the 113 Cf. note 99! 113 J. Makkay, Acta Arch. Hung. 16 (1964) p. 48, with further literature. thinking-dreaming posture, is in no connection whatever with its possible use as gravefurniture. We know but a single male figure from South-Eastern Europe (with the exception of the reliefs) the type of which bears out an inference to its purpose, this is the maleshaped vessel from Gabarevo (Fig. 5 no. 10). Doubtlessly, its genital organ was a spout at the same time and in its one-time use it was complete with a lid. Functionally we suggest such a purpose for this male-shaped vessel which is illustrated by the following statement of the recent past. In the Tsao-tang monastery of the Chinese town of Tchia-ting (the age of the monastery remains unknown to us) two temple halls stood in their original form at the beginning of our century still, «-the statues stood there too, covered by a curtain. In the right wing of the back hall there was a sanctuary for the 'child-giving Kuan-yin', containing three statues of goddessess granting children with several figures below

... In the interior of one of the statues we have discovered a secret. There was a statuette portraying a naked boy in a standing position. On the head of the boy there was a small, round, melonshaped cap which could be removed. As we took off the cap from his head, we noticed that there was an opening at the crown of the statuette's head and that the body of the statue was hollow. If someone poured water into it at the top of its head, it trickled out through its virile member. Naturally this trick served the purpose of enabling the monks to press out even more money from the faithful praying for children.«

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1 This parallel induces us to think that the Gabarevo vessel played a role in »the rite of pouring water«, the exact purpose óf which can hardly be defined at this time. It is significant that the rite of pouring water used to be an outstanding part of the religous life of the Balkans and Greece at that time, as it is proved by the generally known four-legged vessels from Elateia and Danilo.

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" The Danilo material contained not only the typical pouring vessels but also numerous phalloi, often painted red. This may harmonize with the fact that the rite performed with the pouring vessels aimed at the securing of (female, and vegetable) fertility. We join the opinion of A. Benac, stating that the pouring vessel and phalloi from Danilo do not prove 114 Kuo mo-Zho, Ifjúkor. (Youth). (Budapest 1961), translated after 'Mo-Zho ven-tchi' (Peking 1957) vol. 6, p. 81. 115 S. S. Weinberg, Ceramics and the Supernatural: Cult and Burial Evidence in the Aegean World. Ceramics and Man, ed. by Fr. Maison. (London 1966) pp. 187—201, with further literature.