Csengeri Piroska - Tóth Arnold (szerk.): A Herman Ottó Múzeum évkönyve 55. (Miskolc, 2016)

Régészet - B. Hellerbrandt Magdolna: A Gáva-kultúra települése Köröm-Kápolna-dombon

A Gáva-kultúra települése Köröm-Kápolna-dombon

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listed ten archaeological sites dated from the Urnfield Culture of the Middle Bronze Age up to the Late Lausitz Culture; the site of Pobedim was dated to this latter period. The decorations discovered here served as the basis for reconstructing a timber-framed building (PAULIK 1962, Fig. 10). Paulik suggested that the decoration was placed on the gable above the entrance, although the finds revealed that other parts of the building were ornamented as well. A gable decoration piece found at Nagyrozvágy-Papdomb, dated to the Late Füzesabony Culture (excavation by J. Koós, personal communication) may complement the list of sites published by Paulik (PAULIK 1962, 55—57). The piece discovered at Köröm-Kápolna- domb signifies a new geographic location and time period; this artifact must have ornamented a house with plastered walls made of woven twigs, typical for the Gáva Culture (V. SZABÓ 2004, 139).

Stone tools. Flint fragments and stone blades were found in houses no. 20 and no. 70, while waste chips were present in feature no. 77. Unworked pieces of flint were recovered from features no. 5 and no. 7; their average length is 3 cm. Feature no. 30 yielded a fragment of a stone axe (Fig. 66. 1), which broke at the perforation. The poll is worn, it must have been used as a hammer. The artifact is black and measures 3.5 cm in length. A whetstone fragment came to light from feature no. 4 (Fig. 66. 4); this was, in fact, a flat and worn pebble, 6.3 cm in length. House no. 20 and feature no. 56 also yielded pieces of whetstones. The elongated, sooty stone artifact from feature no. 20 (Fig. 66. 9) was probably a grinding stone or a working platform; it is 24.3 cm long and 3.6 cm thick. Feature no. 40 yielded a flat stone plate (Fig. 66. 7). A similar artifact was found by T. Kemenczei during his 1969 excavation; he interpreted this flat, burnished object (inv. no. 71.5.46) as a burnishing stone. The length of this artifact was 13.4 cm. The relatively thick, worn piece of stone plate brought to light at Vojnatina must have been used as a working platform (BUDINSKY-KRICKA 1976, Plate III. 6). Feature no. 20 at Köröm yielded the edge of a regular grinding stone (Fig. 66. 8). It is sooty and 5 cm thick. The piece from feature SNR 043 is very similar (Fig 66. 5). Grinding stone fragments were discovered in houses no. 10 and no. 16, as well as in features no. 3, no. 24, no. 30, no. 42, no. 48, no. 55, no. 60, no. 74, and no. 79. T. Kemenczei also documented such artifacts in 1969 (inv. nos. 71.5.17 and 71.5.180). The round and oval-shaped pebbles from features no. 3 and no. 83 (Figs. 66. 2—3) were probably rubbing stones. Their diameter was 7 cm and 9.4 cm, respectively. The piece shown in Fig 66. 2 is 3 cm thick, its surface is worn. The one in Fig. 66. 3 has a flat bottom and a somewhat bulgy upper part, its edges are worn. A similar object was found by T. Kemenczei (inv. no. 71.5.36), although this latter object is more rounded and shows traces of hitting; its diameter is 7.8 cm. The stone artifact found in feature SNR 004 must have been a tool (Fig. 66. 6). Further stone objects were brought to light from features no. 23, no. 33, no. 40, no. 56, no. 60, no. 69—70, no. 77, and no. 85.

Summary. After reviewing research history, the available settlement surveys, and the archaeological assemblage, one can conclude that the fortified settlement at Köröm-Kápolna-domb was habited by people of the Gáva Culture. The nearby sites of Muhi-Nagyhomok-dűlő (KEMENCZEI 1984,17—19, 21-23), Muhi-Jászoltó-dűlő, as well as Ónod-Rétföld (KEMENCZEI 1971, 36) are associated with the same cultural complex. During the excavations conducted in 1969, 1996, and 2014, altogether eleven intact, partial, and abandoned houses were discovered, along with 100 pits used to store grain and other wares, or extracting clay.

The site mainly yielded ceramics. Spindle whorls and weights testify to the importance of weaving. Amulets and animal figurines are also present in the material. The fragments of a casting mold, a trough and a bellow, along with pieces of slag and the bronze objects themselves, evidence metal working. One piece of slag was covered with rust. Bone artifacts include needles, arrow heads, a horse bit and the handle of a tool. Stone tools are represented by grinding, rubbing, burnishing stones, as well as stone plates used as working platforms. In addition to agricultural production, hunting and fishing also contributed to the diet; animal bones and molluscs were found in large quantities. The population was self-sufficient, although fine wares must have been acquired through barter; examples are known for such practices in the geographic area (B. HELLEBRANDT 1990,106). The same system of barter and exchange may be hypothesized for the raw material used in bronze casting. Carving stone casting molds required skilled artisans, which also points to a developed trading system (VÁCZI 2014, 262-264).

The Gáva Culture utilized knowledge accumulated by previous cultural complexes and signified a further step in development. Mihály Párducz pointed out how this culture affected the archaeological heritage of the Scythian period (PÁRDUCZ 1940, 79-94), to which T. Kemenczei added further pieces of data (KEMENCZEI 1971, 42). As said above, pedestailed cups have analogies in the Scythian-Celtic material. From graves no. 23 and no. 31 of Gyoma-Egey-halom, cups with wrapped turban rims were brought to light; according to Borbála Maráz, this signifies the survival of Scythian and Gáva traditions into the Celtic period (MARÁZ 1981, 14).

Intact vessels, metal objects or other intact artifacts were absent. One possible explanation is that the population knew about a coming threat and left the settlement in an organized manner, taking their valuables with them, or they may have set the abandoned settlement on fire themselves. It cannot be excluded, however, that the houses were burnt down by other, inimical groups.