Múzeumi Füzetek Csongrád 2. (Csongrád, 1999.)

V. SZABÓ Gábor: A bronzkor Csongrád megyében (Történeti vázlat a készülő régészeti állandó kiállítás kapcsán)

cemetery of the Perjámos culture (GIRIC 1971, Gr. 1-2, 6-7), Nagyrév-Zsidóhalom, a cemetery of the Ökörhalom phase of the Nagyrév culture (CSÁNYI 1992, 84, Abb. 52) and a tell settlement of Szemlak/Semlac (North Bánát) the cultural attribution of which is uncertain because of the small number of the published material (GOG ALT AN 1996, 45,47, T. VIII). Practically there is no difference between the types of objects found in the Pitvaros cemetery and in the assemblages of Perjámos culture: wire and plate decorations, faience beads, perforated animal teeth, shell decorations (Fig. 4-5), daggers, forms of bowls placed into the graves, the contracted burial rite - all refer to the fact that there must have been very close relationship between the two populations. Judging from all these, considering the system of relations of the two communities we can suggest the following: the Pitvaros cemetery is a little earlier or synchronous with the graves of the Perjámos culture (Szöreg, Deszk and Mokrin) considered to be the oldest. Its pottery represents only a special, regional version. We face a similar problem when examining the relationship between the find group of Pitvaros-Perjámos and that of the Nagyrév culture. We have sites where closed assemblages of both cultures can be found, but in different environment. One of them is Hódmezővásárhely-Kökénydomb, where beside a burial and settlement features of the Nagyrév culture, settlement features of the early phase of the Perjámos culture were also unearthed (GAZDAPUSZTAI 1957, Taf. XIX. 1-5,8; v. SZABÓ 1997, Taf. V, VI. 1-3). Another site where they occurred together, is the cemetery of Szőreg. Here three burials of the Nagyrév culture were found (BONA 1963, Pl. x. Pl. XI. 1-4). These cremated graves are outstanding in the central territory of the Perjámos culture among the skeleton graves of the cemetery, and not only because of their characteristic pottery, but also because of their unusual burial rite. To-date, purely on typological basis, we can only suggest that early Nagyrév elements preceed the local settling of the Perjámos culture. What we can definitely assume is that from the turn of the 2

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ld period of the Early Bronze Age up to the end of the Middle Bronze Age, in the region of the Maros mouth and on the Csongrád county part of the left bank Tisza, the Perjámos culture became dominant comparing to the population of the Nagyrév culture. The process of this cultural change in most cases was explained by the usual migration phenomena, however, some assemblages (e.g. Hódmezővásárhely-Barci-rét pit 1971/1/18: KULCSÁR 1997, 31-34) show a possibility of continuous change built up from Nagyrév elements. There are two tell settlements of this culture belonging to tell cultures: the one from Kiszombor from the early phase of the culture (HORVÁTH 1985a) and the one from Klárafalva formed in the late period (P. FISCHL 1997; P. FISCHL 1998). We know several horizontal settlements of the culture from the territory of our county: Szöreg (TROGMAYER 1985,4), Ószentiván (BANNER 1928; BANNER 1929), HódmezővásárhelyKökénydomb, Hódmezövásárhely-Szakálhát and Solt Paie, Hódmezővásárhely-Batida, Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa-Cukor-tanya (V. SZABÓ 1997. 70-71). These one-layer settlements without exception have got the characteristic features of the early period of the culture and we do not know even one feature in the material of which late elements (Szőreg 4-5) appeared. Only the future research would answer the question: was it a historical event that determined this phenomenon or was it simply resulted by the poor survey of the region.