Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 26 (1981) (Pécs, 1982)

Régészet - Maráz Borbála: A szkítakori őslakosság La Tene-kori továbbélése Kelet-Magyarországon (Régészeti adatok a Kárpát-medencei kelta–szkíta kapcsolatok kérdéséhez)

112 MARÁZ BORBÄLA the Celtic groups. The Celtic communities may well have included free members of local origin. The frequency of the finds indicating the remnants of the autochtonous culture decreases in the LT С period. There are some pottery-sherds from the small settlement of Hódmezővásárhely—Fehértó, two contracted burial with Celtic gravegoods and other three graves with a vessel of Scythian Age type, each in the cemetery at Békéssámson-Erdőháti halom and some similar graves from Jászberény— Cserőhalom to reflect the survival in the second half of the LT С period i. e. in the second century В. C. Similar finds are not known from the later contexts. 3. The obvious conclusion to be drawn from these observations is that traditions of the Scythian Age existed as long as a period of 150 years of La Tene in Eastern Hungary. The question arises: Did this local tradition make any contribution to the material culture of the Celtic groups of the area? It has been attempted to point out the impact of this contribution in the Celtic art. Numerous studies have tried to answer the question concerning the origins of the Eastern elements of the Celtic art since Jacobstahl stressed the importance of the Eastern factor.

15 The first theory supposing that the motifs of eastern origin had been taken over from the Scythian groups of Podolia and Eastern Europe in general was published in the early 60-s.

16 This theory has been given up since as the discussions of the late years resulted in more likely assumptions as to the origins of the eastern elements in the Celtic art.

17 As to the impact of the Scythian „animal style" there are two remarks to be made here : a. A direct influence of the Scythian animal style cannot be supposed since the motifs in question appeared in Western Europe much earlier than the Celtic groups in Eastern Hungary.

24 b. There was not any possibility for the Celtic artisans to take over the elements of the „animal style" from the indigenous population because the autochtonous groups were not Scythians and they did not follow the style and motifs of the Scythian art. Several scholars have called attention to the facts that the analogies of the pottery from the East-Hungarian sites of the Scythian Age cannot be found East of Moldavia and there have not been found typical Scythian burials on this area later invaded by the Celts.

19 The metallurgical products found not only in the Carpathian Basin but on the areas west and south of it as well, indicate the connections with the various Scythian groups and do not prove any Scythian intrusion or occupation. Most part of the objects reflecting the inmpact of the Scythian animal style can be regarded as imitations

21-22 made without the full comprehension of the original motifs and transforming them according to the Hallstatt tradition.

23 Two well known exceptions are from this respect the two golden stag as obvious Scythian products. Neither the Scythian metallwork nor any other part of the Scythian Culture was adopted by the Celtic groups of Eastern Hungary. It is the survival of a special kind of pottery which can be detected in the LaTène material in Eastern Hungary namely the one-handled jugs. The distribution of this type is limited to the Carpathian Basin similarly to that of the clay-kantharoi. The prototype is rendered by the Scythian Age pottery in Eastern Hungary, Transylvania and Slovakia.

25 The form must have been taken over directly as the one-handled jugs of the LaTène period found on different areas more closely related to their local predecessors than to each other. So there is documented a variant with long neck from North-East Hungary and Transylvania and another one with short neck and wide mouth from South-East Hungary (PI. VIII). The Celtic potters adopted the form from the local population and decorated it with their own ornaments (e. g. one handled jugs with incised ornament)

30-31 or combined it with another adopted motifs (man-representation, plastic decoration in form of a bull-head).

32 For the time being that is all to be regarded for the heritage of the Scythian Age in the material of the Eastern Celtic tribes.

33 It can be assumed that the excavation of the LaTene settlements of the area and the survey of their finds will reveal more pieces of evidence indicating the cultural relations between the autochtonous groups and the Celtic population.