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 - Bóna István: The Peoples of Southern Origin of the Early Bronze Age in Hungary I–II. IV–V, 1963–64. p. 17–63. t. I–XVII.
The burials of S —N orientation, laying on their rights and those of N— S orientation, laying on their lefts (including also the varieties of both) represented a roughly equal number. According to the observations on the Óbéba site made by A. Török and to the investigation of grave-furniture there is some probability for the statement that those laid on their right sides, orientated S —N, are more frequently women, while the oppositely situated ones are usually men. This holds good for the children's graves too, making up less than one fifth of the total. J. Hillebrand Was the first to observe a similar burial of fixed rite in the cemeteries of the Bodrogkeresztur culture at Pusztaistvánháza and Bodrogkeresztur, their orientation was, however, different. 41 On the other hand the rite fixed according to sex is known with a similar orientation in the cemeteries of the Middle Bronze Age Füzesabony group, at Hernádkak and Megyaszó, i2 but both the Copper Age and the Bronze Age examples differ from ours insofar as men lay on their left and women on their right sides. An orientation and the depositing the dead on their rights or lefts similar to the Pitvaros group is observed in the cemeteries of the Szőreg group {Szóreg, Deszk A and F, etc.) too, 43 however, the distinction according to sex is not yet proved. The essence of the rite extending to a long span of time and several peoples is to turn the face of the contracted body towards East, so it cannot be regarded as a distinctive ethnical feature. The dead were buried together with their jewels, badges, amulets worn in their lives. No grave contained an implement or a weapon, unless we regard the small bronze knife of grave 7 at Pitvaros as such. With a few exeptions the grave-furniture consisted of vases, chiefly a bowl placed before the pelvis. In the bowl the remnants of meat to be consumed in the Nether World, i.e. bones of pigs and fowl were found in several cases at Pitvaros and in a single grave at Óbéba. Beside the bowl or at the end of the feet one or more smaller vessels, mainly two-handled mugs were visible. between this manner of contraction and the „Penseur" idols uncovered at Cernavoda. Cf. D. BERCIU, Dacia 4 (1960) 423 and figures. 41 OMRTÉ 2 (1927) 28;. Arch. Ért. 42 (1923) 46-47; Arch. Hang. 4 (1929) 26-30. Grave 31 at Pitvaros is the only instance of the finding of red paint lumped together. Its connection with the painting of the dead is not established, one might rather attribute a magical purpose to it, perhaps the painting of the body in the Nether World. Though this age shows numerous common features in the costume of men and women, thus some jewels were used by both sexes equally, an attempt will be made here to distinguish their occurrence. Male costume. It may be stated that bone eyelet pins are occurring in male graves almost exclusively; they were used for fastening the attire on the breast. Probably the rolled bronze bracelets were worn mainly by men on one or both their wrists. In grave A at Óbéba, possibly the resting-place of a gentile chief, allegedly four pieces were found. The majority of gold lock-rings were also worn by men, their position in the graves bears out the conclusion that they decorated or held together a sort of tress. 4 "' Such was the headdress of the gentile chief in grave A at Óbéba. There is no certain proof for the presence of beads in male graves, but the trinkets of magic destination, manufactured of animal teeth, tusks or sometimes shells, were worn by men usually. The bronze torques, denoting rank and at the same time averting evil by magic, is to be classified as a part of male costume in all probability. Female costume is characterized by the exclusive feature of necklaces made up of fayence beads and snails. The hair or headdress of a woman was ornamented with the smallsize spectacle-shaped spiral pendants. The headdress or diadem composed of Panpipe-shaped plates came to light from female graves, the diadem of bronze plate of grave 2 at Törökkanizsa was worn also by a woman in all probability. The majority of Cypriot pins served to hold together female attire on the shoulders. Though in smaller numbers, women wore also gold lock-rings and bronze bracelets, these on both their wrists. Children's costume may have been simple. They did not wear jewels yet, it is only in one instance that a trinket of a few fine ornamented snails is mentioned as grave-furniture of a child. 42 F. TOMPA: BRGK 24 25 (1936) pp. 97-98. 43 I. FOLTINY; FA 1-2 (1941) 87; id., Dolg. 17 (1941) 51; id., SzVMK II/3 (1942) 20. 44 I. BONA: Arch Ért. 87 (1960) 201-, the reconstruction in Fig. 4. 26
