Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 4.-5. 1963-1964 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1965)
Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Makkay János: What was the Copper Age Clay Wagon Model of Budakalász? IV–V, 1963–64. p. 11–15.
What was the Copper Age Clay Wagon Model oi Budakalász? A few years ago S. Soproni has uncovered an extensive cemetery of the Baden-Pécel Culture near Budakalász, in the surroundings of Budapest. Among other important results and observations the symbolical grave No. 177 yielded an especially surprising find: its gravegoods contained also a small clay wagon model. 1 Since then archaeological research dealt with .the find in detail. 3 After various, often contradicting statements it was I. Bona who allotted it the appropriate place from the archaeological and historical points of view. We intend to give a detailed treatment to the original meaning of the model here. Therefore we attach a special significance to the statement that the find has not been placed into the grave as a vehicle, i. e. a symbolical object representing wagon burial, but as a vessel, a part of the grave-furniture. 3 On the other hand the vessel doubtless has played a cultic role before it was deposed. On the basis of these facts and the shape of the find we are prompted to look for the explanation of its original character in two directions, namely: it used to be a wagon model and also a vessel built together with a vehicle at the same time. The conbination of these two features may give an answer to the question put in the title. It was V. G. Childe who has firstly proved the Near Eastern origin of the European wagon models. 4 Childe and other authors have placed the thesis above discussion that the production of both the real wagon (i.e. the object in use, the vehicle) and the wagon model (generally a small object of votive destination) has been started in Mesopotamia. The proofs of this statement are no typological ones in the first place, they are based rather on the chronological priority of the Mesopotamian specimens. As a matter of fact, the oldest such finds are the small clay models uncovered at Tepe Gawra and recently at Tell-al-Wilayah, together with the small wheels of vehicles found at al Ubaid. 1 S. SOPRONI: FA 6 (1954) pp. 29-36, 198-199. 2 V. G. CHILDE: EAF 2 (1954) pp. 1-17; FOLTINY, ST., AJA 63 (1959) pp. 53-58. 3 I. BONA: Clay Models of Bronze Age Wagons and Wheels in the Middle Danube Basin. Acta Arch. Hung. 12. (1960) p. 109. 4 In the first place PPS 17 (1951) pp. 177-194. 5 E. A. SPEISER: Excavations at Tepe Gawra. Vol. I. Levels I-VIII. (Philadelphia (1935) pp. 73-75. At Tepe Gawra small specimens imitating both two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles were unearthed. 5 The finds, totalling eleven, belong to levels VIII-VI. Especially the fourwheeled ones are important for our purpose. They represent two types. One of them is a model with a superstructure, provided with a semi-cylindrical cover, imitating a rushfabric probably. 6 This reminds one of the types of vehicles used by the nomadic people wandering on the steppe not too long ago. The other four-wheeled Gawra form has a flat, longitudinal shape and a somewhat deepened body. 7 This one belongs quite surely to level VIII, the type itself lives, however, even in level VI. Several two-wheeled small clay wagon models are figuring among the finds of Tell alWilayah*They resemble the two-wheeled Tepe Gawra forms extremely. Possibly they may be dated to the very end of the al'Ubaid era, being thus coeval with the clay wagon wheel model found near the Ninhursag temple at al'Ubaid. 9 We may safely attribute the invention of the vehicle itself to this age. The al'Ubaid culture has promoted the development of civilization by a number of inventions. Also animal figurines are added to the wagon models of Tell al-Wilayah. They endeavour to imitate the animals drawing the real vehicles, the patterns of the models. Unfortunately we do not know, what sort of animals they were. The small figurines do not make a definition possible. Regarding the destination of the above finds we have an extremely important observation. The covered wagon model of Tepe Gawra namely came to light in the neighbourhood of a sanctuary, among objects of offering: „Of the votive offerings found near the shrine I shall only point out a perfectly preserved 'covered wagon'." 10 This but confirms the generally accepted older view that among the real specimens or small-size reproductions of the various metal and clay objects, idols, implements, 6 ibid. PI. XXXV a/2. 7 Ibid. PI. LXXVIII 3. 8 T. A. MADHLUM: The Excavations at Tell al-Wilayah. Sumer 16 (1960) Pl. 7. 9 H. R. HALL— С. L. WOOLLEY: Ur Excavations. Vol. I. Al'Ubaid. (Oxford 1927) p. 50, fig. 19. 10 E. A. SPEISER: Traces of the Oldest Cultures of Babylonia and Assyria. AfO 5 (1928) pp. 162-163. 11
