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

Régészet - Ecsedy István: A kelet-magyarországi rézkor fejlődésének fontosabb tényezői

94 ECSEDY ISTVÄN res in Middle Europe. No doubt about the possibility of the intrusions, raids and plunder in this period although they are unlikely to be proved by the archaeology. This possibility however does not imply any argumentation for the supposed Indo-European dispersal specially as the Pit-Grave groups spoke probably an Iranian or proto-Iranian language.

70-71 The question regarding to the role of the steppic population cannot be solved by the theories taking the direct impact of the Pit-Grave tribes for granted in every important changes of the Copper — Early Bronze Age history. It was due to the overemphasis of this factor that the situation emerging after the collapse of the Gumelnita (and later the Salcu^a and Bodrogkeresztur Culture) has not been properly analyzed. This new situation is far more complex than it could be described as „Kurganization". The people of the Pit-Grave kurgans destroyed the cultural and ethnical (quasi political) framework on the occupied territory. This destruction made possible the strenghthening of the Aegean influence as it were drawn in by the cultural vacuum. The new cultural orientation of the Middle-Balkans was followed by the populations of the West-Pontic and North-Balkanic areas and resulted in the adoption of the material culture of Cernavoda III-Boleráz character which developed in its own way in the Carpathian Basin.

72 This phenomenon is called „Badenisierung" which resulted in the rapid dispersal of a strikingly homogeneous pottery especially in the earliest, formative phase.

73 This uniformity for the first time since the Körös-Starcevo period does not correspond to the geographical distribution of the area and differently from the Early Neolithic, it is presumably not connected with the ethnic boundaries either. It can hardly be supposed that a single ethnic group (i. e. the Cernavoda III population of the Lower Danube) is represented by the homogeneous material of Cernavoda III - Boleráz type overall in the Carpathian Basin. It seems more likely that the Salcu^a IV - Vaj ska - Hunyadi halom Cucuteni В cultures and most parts of the Balaton-Lasinja and Ludanice cultures have been weakened or dispelled and cut off from their traditional connections by the Pit-Grave intrusion. This event put an end to the continuous development of these cultures and their metallurgy. It is understandable that the surviving groups of the dispelled population absorbed the new material culture within a relatively short time after the PitGrave tribes occupied the areas East of the Tisza river. The ethnical - political re-organization started already in the Baden - period and it was continued obviously not without interruptions and transformations. The important stations of this development can be demonstrated by the archaelogical material: the Baden and Cotofeni - blocks, later the Viss, Kostolác, Bosáca etc. groups are separable judging from their typology. It can be said that the destruction of the integrated cultures of the Early- and Middle Copper Age was followed by the emergence and stabilization of the Baden-Cotofeni cultures on the regions in question. It seems very unlikely that this change was resulted by the appearance of new ethnic groups in each part of the Carpathian Basin. The South-West border of the territory of the „Badenisierung" divides the former Balaton-Lasinja area and this fact may have some importance as far as the origins of the Vucedol Culture are concerned. It is well known that in the most part of Slovenia and in the neighbouring areas of Transdanubia has not been found any site of the Baden Culture. At the same time, it is beyond doubt that the Lasinja Culture cannot be earlier than the Baden as it is demonstrated by the stratigraphies from the areas containing the settlement of both cultures (i. e. the South-East part of Transdanubia).

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^-75 Since the „Badenisierung" did not reach the central area of the Lasinja Culture it seems possible that the Vucedol Culture emerged there at the end of the full sequence of the Lasinja Culture synchronously with the middle or late period of the Baden Culture. It is likely that the populotion of the LateLasinja, Retz-Gajary sites was a neighbour of the Baden territory and acted as an important factor in the evolution of the Zók-Vucedol Culture. This question, however, cannot be solved without a sound basis for the typological determination of the latest Lasinja-Retz and the earliest Zók-Vucedol material. This hypothesis, suggested by J. Korosec and I. Bona

76 seems to us more probable than S. Dimitrijevic's theory about the origins of the Vucedol Culture. Dimitrijevic supposed that the autochtonous population of the Sopot- Culture had survived under the supremacy of the newcomers belonging to the Kosztolác Group and the regained independence is reflected by the Vucedol Culture containing both Kostolác and ancient Sopot-elements.

77 This theory implies a rather complicated relative chronology suggesting the synchronization of the Baden, Bodrogkeresztur and Early Vucedol Culture which seems unlikely if judged from the excavation results.

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9 It cannot supposed that a Bodrogkeresztur retardation lasted until the Vucedol B-2 (!) period as the Bodrogkeresztur was followed by the Hunyadi-halom - Vaj ska Group and the Cernavoda III - Boleráz, both of them earlier than the Vucedol Culture.

80 It is far from being an argument for Dimitrijevic'

s synchronization the resemblance between the