Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 6.-7. 1965-1966 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1966)
Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Bándi Gábor: The Cemetery of Ercsi-Sinatelep. VI–VII, 1965–66. p. 11–25. t. I–XIV.
The sketches of the cemeteries of groups 1 and V reveal the fact that we are faced by the group cemeteries of joint families in all probability. Only group V may be regarded as complete, its 18 graves provide a measurable support for this inference. Of group I we know 11 graves in an oval arrangement, but we have to reckon with approximately 4 to 6 graves in the area we were unable to uncover. Naturally one ought to remember, especially with the fragmentary groups II, III and IV, that there is an unsolved problem regarding them : whether they could not be defined as complete units on account of the barrier set to the excavation, or the deficiencies of the otherwise existent oval rings are to be attributed to the lack of uncovering. The burial system in groups forming an oval ring is a usual feature of other contemporary cemeteries along the Danube as well (Kulcs, Dunapentele, Csepel-Háros, etc.). 4 I. Bona regards this burial system as a characteristic of the Kisapostag and Vatya cultures, it is equally known, however, in the Nagyrév culture, since in the period, of the Early Bronze Age the social structure based on clans, joint families and related groups was a universal one. 5 Now we have to investigate the cultural and chronological attribution of the uncovered parts of the cemetery, or the single groups respectively. Group I. — The 17 graves of the group reveal a uniform picture. Urns, bowls and jugs may be equally attributed to the ceramic forms of the Vatya culture. Comparing the material of the group with the general outline and the cemeteries of the earliest Vatya period, defined by Bona, the identity becomes evident. Accordingly, our group may be fitted into the cultural unit or a relation of coevity, respectively, with the archaelogical material of the Kulcs cemetery (groups 5 to ll), 6 the Zsellér-föld group at Kisapostag, 7 and the early Vatya groups of graves at Dunapentele. 8 Since Bona, treating all cemeteries and scattered finds in his comprehensive work on the Bronze Age, has given a detailed survey on the material culture of the first period of the Vatya culture too, we are dispensed from the enumeration of parallels, taking object by object, as an extensive proof for this chronological statement. Beside the identity of our material with that of the menti4 I. BONA: The Bronze Age in Hungary. Dissertation for the grade of a candidate. Manuscript. (Budapest 1958, in Hungarian.) I. Chapters „The Early Bronze Age" and „The Vatya Culture"; an obliging oral communication of R. Schreiber. 5 Ibid.; I. BONA: Alba Regia 2/3 (1961—62) pp. 11 seq.; G. BANDI: JPMÉ (1962) pp. 103 seq. 6 I BONA: The Bronze Age ... I pp. 64. seq. 7 Ibid.; A. BÁLINT: Dolg. 11 (1935) pp. 145 seq. 8 I. BONA: The Bronze Age ... 64 seq. oned cemeteries, we might mention some important early, nay later Vatya cemeteries, furnishing evident proof for the attribution of our group (Á p о г к a;' Dom s öd, 10 Vatya, 11 Lovasberén y, 12 etc.). Even the small details of burial rites reveal a fine parallel to the data known from these cemeteries. Beside the oval group system of the joint family, the situation of the vessels, the alternate placing of the small jugs inside and outside the urns, the natural position of the covering bow T l, etc. tend all to show the roughly uniform rite of the early Vatya cemeteries (Kulcs, groups 4 and 9). 13 Of the 17 graves of group I five have yielded bronze jewels. The fragments of a bracelet in grave 7, the bronze dagger found in grave 8, the two flat wire bracelets of grave 9, and the fragment of a tiny bronze tube of grave 11 have been uncovered all among the burnt human bones. So they may be regarded as accessories of the costume and personal jewels. The significant bronze find of grave 15 has come to light in a suspension vessel (P. IV no. 4). This grave contained the most finds in the whole group, yielding not only the usual urn, bowl and jug but also a small urn, placed upright in the covering bowl. It may well have been the resting place of the head of the group of relatives, the joint family. 14 The bronze jewels represent the generally used early Vatya types, being objects of southern origin and no local products yet, as it has been proved by I. Bon a. 15 Local bronze metallurgy gets a hold on this area in the younger period of this culture only. 1 * For these reasons we have to attribute the group I to period 1 of the Vatya culture, being in the process of formation. Groups II, III, IV. — Just a few graves reveal the existence of these three groups of graves, distinguished only hypothetically, on the basis of the sketch of the cemetery. Similarly to group I, these groups were situated on the northern part of the site, the chain of hills. The three groups or fragmentary units totalled six graves. Since they are the parts of a culturally unitary picture, we deal with them in common and regard the conclusions as valid for all three of them. The ceramic finds are entirely identical with those mentioned in group I, they may be dated to the early Vatya period equally (PI. I nos 1 to 10). Similarly to grave 15 of group I, 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid.; E. KADA: Arch. Ért. (1909) pp. 124 seq. 12 В. POSTA: Arch. Ért. (1897) pp. 304 seq.; К. MISKE: Arch. Ért. (1898) pp. 317 seq. 13 I. BONA : The Bronze Age . . . ibid. 14 Ibid. 15 I. BONA: Alba Regia 1 (1960) pp. 12 seq.; Alba Regia 2/3 (1961—62) pp. 11 seq. 16 I. BONA: The Bronze Age . . . chapter „The Vatya culture". 2. Alba Regia 17
