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
by the Sredni Stog II and the Yamnaya culture. The connections of the two circles as we have seen can be observed in the earliest period of cultures pursuing a primarily nomadic stock-breeding and horse-keeping economy. Because of the mobility moreover the necessity of movement coming from the character of their economy in the case of advantegous climatic conditions or — perhaps simultaneously with these — in consequence of the pressure of other tribes or groups the nomad and mobile way of living can take the form of a definite migration. 26 In the course of this the steppe groups penetrate into the territories suitable for them ; — to the plain between the Dnester and the Danube, the Lower Danube, the valley of the rivers Olt and Maros and to the territory east of the river Tisza. Beside the intercourses observed from Tripolje В I the appearance of the horse-headed sceptrums, the emergence of the Csongrád—Marosdécse complex must be considered as a result of the first movement of this nature directly following the former ones. It seems to be definite that in the course of Tripolye В II — СI this process contributed to the formation of new cultures on the Eastern territories. These cultures are Usatovo, (Foltest I) in the area of the Soviet Union and in Rumania the Cernavoda I culture emerging parallelly with the Cucuten В on the Gumelnita bases. 27 We must amphasize it repeatedly, that — contrary to the opinion of Marija Gimbutas — among our so far discovered pit-grave kurgans there is none which could be dated to this period. 28 These graves as well as the Bulgarian (Endze, etc.) and the Muntanian (Gurbaneçti) ones represent within the Yamnaya culture the burial places following directly or at best running parallel with the Usatovo, so in Hungary parallelly either with the Bodrogkeresztur culture or with its final phase we can hardly speak about a nomad penetration on the side of the Yamnaya culture. 29 The depot-finds dated definitely by the Tiszapolgár—Bodrogkeresztúr-type copper and gold disks, copper-beads and bracelets to the middle period of our Copper Age can be connected possibly to the first steppe penetrations outlined above. 30 The depot finds of Karbuna, Habasesti, Erősd and Hencida can be found on the territories which can be taken into consideration in connection with the movement of the above-mentioned population respectively ethnic groups. Referring to the finds of Hencida Gyula Gazdapusztai hinted at the fact that this treasure had been concealed from an enemy attack in flight. 31 As it is impossible to date 26 Бибикова Б. И., К истории доместикации лошади на юго-востоке Европы Археология XXII. Киев 1969. 67. о. 27 According to the observations of Шмаглий and Черняков among the kurgan burials between the Dnyeper and Danube the Usatovo graves are older than those of the Yamnaya culture. On the basis of the grave discovered near Kainari the authors suppose that the custom of building of kurgan is a result of the intercourses with the steppe preceding the later Tripolye phase. Relying upon these it can be supposed that the earliest phase of the formation fo the Uszatovo directly follows the earliest period of the Yamnaya culture in the steppe zone. See: Шмаглий — Черняков, op. cit. 94—95., сор.: Zbenovich V. G., Chronology and cultural relations of the Usatovo Group in the USSR. Symposium über... der Badener Kultur. Nitra 1969. Lithographed text. 5—6. On the emergence of Cernavoda I and the so called ,,C" cheramics of Cucuten A — В see: Morintz S., —Roman, P., Aspekte der Ausgange des Aeneolithikums und der Übergangsstufe zur Bronzezeit in Raum der Niederdonau. Dacia N. S. XII. 1966. 120. 28 See note 23. 29 Мерперт, H. Й., op. cit. ibid; Шмаглий — Черняков, op. cit. 107—108.; Kalicz, N., Die Frühbronzezeit in Nordostungarn. Arch. Hung. XIV. Budapest 1968. 28—39., 73—88. 30 Сергеев, op. cit.; Gazdapusztai, Gy., Ein Goldfund der Kupferzeit in Hencida. Mitteilungen der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien. XCVI—XCVII. 1967. 290—297. 31 ibid. 297. 16
