A Herman Ottó Múzeum évkönyve 50. (2011)

RÉGÉSZET - KOÓS Judit: Ujabb adatok bronzkori agyagplasztikánkhoz

Újabb adatok bronzkori agyagplasztikánkhoz 163 The second group of Németi are represented by the strongly stylized and "violin-shaped" idols. Tibor Kovács connects it to the Urnfield culture (Aszód-Domonyvölgy: KOVÁCS 1977, Figs. 28-30). We know some nice specimens from the sites of Suciu de Sus/Felsőszőcs culture, for example Mesteacän/Kisnyires (KACSÓ 1987, Abb. 9. 9, 11; KACSÓ 2004, Pl. XL

VIII. 1, 4) and Vad/Révkolostor (KACSÓ 2004, Pl. XL

VIII. 2). In the last few years, more idols were found during the excavation of Pácin-Alharaszt-dűlő. These idols are similar to the Aszód ones. In the varieties of this type, the violin form, the cloth with incised lines and impressed points, 'V' formed neckline or necklace are significant (V. SZABÓ 2002, 55). They spread from the eastern part of Carpathian Basin to the River Dnyeszter, while in time from the end of HA period to the end of HB. The researchers specializing of this theme consider the idols and their fragments as typical finds of the period under review. According to them, the specimens of Carpathian Basin belong to the Gáva culture. (DUMITRASCU 1974, 131; VASILIEV 1985-86, 79; MALEEV 1992, 20-22; BOROFFKA 1994, 75-78; LÁSZLÓ 1996, 358-359; SIRBU 1999, 157-161; N

ÉMETI 2000, 58-60; V. S

ZABÓ 2002, 52). The above-mentioned idols, oppositely our anthropomorphic figurine, tell a different approach. The maker of them did not pursue the realistic depiction. The figurine of Miskolc was made in more detailed. It is more plastic, and maybe it represents a "higher level", in which the sitting woman figure can be known. Although there are not any marks referring to cloth or jewel, opposite to the above-mentioned type, its forming suggests the woman nature. (It is true particularly, if we agree that the cut between its two legs indicates the female sexual characteristic). We do not know what kinds of demands were embodied by such figurines and how important the realistic depiction was for the community. Did they attribute more importance to the representation of the clothes and jewel than to emphasize the forms, or vice versa? It was enough to remind them of the required figure in outlines, was not it? Perhaps another habit or other ethnic group with different tradition prevailed and created the (zoomorphic) figurines, which conformed to their own confession, religion, or thoughts better. Several questions can be brought up in connection with the representations of the man and the animals, for which we cannot know the answers. Their appearance probably was bounded up with the presence and spreading of the agriculture. The figurines are the elements of fertility cult, but we do not know, how they were used in practice. The representation itself does not give the answer. Coming back to the idol of the unknown site (Fig. 1): the head is leaning back, taper, and flat. It is similar to the violin shaped figurines. However, the massive lower trunk and the forming of the arms and legs are different from the finds of the type-group. First of all, the sitting position is unusual, because the standing figurines or the figurines with rounded bottom off are typical between the late Bronze Age and the early Iron Age. This statement relate to the whole figurines, because we cannot say any facts about the original condition of broken pieces. We found only one figurine, which is paralleled with our idol. It belongs to the site of Belsk (Ukraine), which was one of the largest fortified settlements in the Eastern Europe in the early Iron Age (SRAMKO 1974, Abb. 6, 4). The head, the arms and the legs were broken, too, but the specific forming is referred to female character. From the very laconic study, it does not clear up from where the anthropomorphic (and a zoomorphic) figurines were found and what the accompanying finds were (SRAMKO 1974, 469-485, Abb. 6, 5). The author dated the site between the 7

th and 3

r

d century B.C. (SRAMKO 1974, 476). THE APPEARANCE AND SPREADING OF THE ZOOMORPHIC FIGURINES IN THE SITES OF BRONZE AGE Based on our researches, we ascertained that the anthropomorphic (Fig. 1.1) and zoomorphic (Fig. 1.2-4) figurines of unknown sites might belong to the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age. In this opinion, it was a decisive circumstance that we found the comparison of the female figurine together with an animal figurine in the site of Belsk (Ukraine) (Fig. 1. 5-7). The unquestionable similarity between the finds determined the following researches, eastward from the Carpathian Basin. The spreading area of the clay zoomorphic figurines was from the Carpathian Basin to the territory of wooded steppe between the end of late Bronze Age and the beginning of early Iron Age. The