A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve, 1971. 2. (Szeged, 1974)
Ecsedy, István: A New Item Relating the Connections with the East in the Hungarian Copper Age
Tripolye cultures. On the territories of Ukraine, Moldavia and Rumania several complexes of finds have been discovered and numerous issues of researchwork have been born in the course of the recent years that represent partly the outstanding importance of these connections and partly contribute to the elucidation of the phases — divergent both in their period and character — of a process that has been called formerly the "influence of the steppe" as a whole, and so far has not been made clear in details. The graves and cemeteries showing the direct analogies of our complexes in Hungary discussed above can be dated principally to a period parallel with the 2nd layer of Srednij Stog on the territory of the Soviet Union. This phase is represented by the latest graves of the Dneper-Donec culture as well as by the earliest burial places of the Yamnaya Culture. As for making the cemetery of Marosdécse parallel with Marjupol in this case in our opinion only the last graves (graves XXI and XXIV) of the Marjupol cemetery can be taken into consideration, and it is very likely that only as a „terminus post quern". 7 The same can be stated about the cemetery excavated near Nyikolkiye (in the district of Dnepropetrovsk) and the cemetery discovered near vasilyevka (in the district of Zhaporozhez) can be ranged with these, too. These also belong to the neolithic period preceding Srednij Stog II. 8 The near analogies of the whole ritual are shown, however, by the graves 1/a —5/a in the cemetery of Tshapli as well as by the burial-places discovered in Vinográdniy Ostrov being — according to Dobrovolskij — in a very close connection with the former ones. Not only the laying of the dead the characteristic way of use of the ochre and the stone-knives — being of outstanding importance according to Garashanin 9 — and the copper beads show a correspondence, but some specific elements of the costume as well; as the string of beads made of Unio-shells and possibly wound around the waist like a belt — as it was well observed and laid down both in Marosdécse and in Tshapli. 10 Similarly, in the cemetery of Petro-Svistunovo we can see the outstanding importance of the stone-blades and we can find the above mentioned elements of the costume beside the special features of the ritual. The first grave of the cemetery deserves special attention. It is an interment in an oval pit with the dead lying supine with the legs drawn up and the head orientated towards the west and powdered with ochre with a furniture containing a string of beads composed of 120 pieces similar to the copperbeads of Csongrád, a stone-knife and three stonechisels. There was a furniture of ochre-knob near the left hand. 11 The analogies of the beads, 7 Макаренко M., Марюполъский моплник. Всеукрайнска Академиа Наук. Юев 8 Телегин Д., Я. Никольский могилник эпохи неолита — меди в Надпорожъе КСИА АН УССР II. х Киев 1961. 20—26. Бодянский, А., В., Лысогорский неолитический могильник КСИА АН УССР П. 32—37. 9 Garasanin, M. К, Elemente der Steppen und der pontischen Einflüsse an der Unteren Donau und auf dem Balkan, an Übergang vom Neolithikum zur frühen Bronzezeit. Glasnik Sarajevo, N. S. XV —XVI. 24. Considering the skeletons of the cemetery of Marosdécse lying with the legs drawn up the author assumes that it is not Maryupol that the cemetery of Marosdécse shows a close relationship with, but the Aeneolithic cemeteries of younger date. 10 Добролский А. В., Могшьник в с. Чаши. Археолопя. X. Юев 1954. 106—118. The Aeneolithic cemetery of Kapulovka is — the cheramics of which are type Srednij-Stog II., Mihajlovka I. — considering its ritual different but on the ground of its furniture similar to the Tshapli graves l.a —5. а. Шапошникова О. Г. Бодянский О. В., Капуловський енеолитичний могильник на нижному Дншри Археолопя. XX., Юев 1970. 11—117. 11 Бодянский О. В., Энеолитичний могильник бшя с Петро-Свистунове. Археолопя. XX. Юев 1968. 117—118. 13
