Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 8.-9. 1967-1968 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1968)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Makkay János: A Peculiar Clay Object of the Vinea Culture. – A Vinea Kultúra sajátos agyagtárgya. VIII–IX, 1967–68. p. 9–22. t. I–II.

short for this. A further piece, a badly damaged one, also belongs to this type probably (Cat. No. 5., PI. I, 5; Fig. 3, 4a—b). C. The shape of the third type of our finds is a simple six-pointed star; the six branches are arranged symmetrically in space, each enclosing a right angle with another. As a result, the branches make the three axes of a spatial system of co-ordinates. The branches have round crosssections, becoming slightly but not gradually thicker towards their ends. All specimens lack at least one of the six branches. Four specimens of this type are perforated actually, the holes proceeding crossways. The hole starts upside between two branches and ends between the two opposite branches at the bottom. So the opening is not parallel to any of the branches (Cat. No. 10., PI. II, 1; Fig. 2, la—b; Cat. No. 7., PI. I, 7; Fig. 1, 2a—b; Cat. No. 1., PI. I, 1 ; Fig. 1, la—b; Cat. No. 8., PI. I, 8; Fig. 2, 2a

—

b). A variety of this third type is presented by an earthen object which differs from the above in the single circumstance that the slanting perforation does not run through the body; as to material, this one is different from the remaining ones too, being more coarse and mixed with gravel (Cat. No. 2., PL I, 2; Fig. 1, 3a—b). Another variety of this type is an originally six-pointed object, showing the begun but unfinished piercing along one of the branches (Cat. No. 4., PI. I, 4; Fig. 3, 3a

—b). As we shall see in more detail below, this type "C" was the most widely extended one, so it is no mere chance that the majority of the Bicske finds belongs to this type too. D. Our last piece differs from the mentioned ones as to material and execution only. It is made of a very finely levigated clay, has a light colour, being well wrought and smoothened. We may attach it to the six-pointed type "C" but, judged by the preserved three points, these were somewhat pointed. The rump of one of the broken branches seems to have been polished to give a smooth surface, but it is uncertain whether it happened in the Neolithic or at the time of uncovering. The object is pierced through slantingly; the diameter of the extremely narrow hole, going through the object, is very small, 1,5 mm at the most. Crosswise to this perforation there is another not pervading, started but unfinished, piercing between two opposite branches on each side (Cat. No. 9., Fig. 3, 2a—b). In our judgement the enumerated, altogether not too important, differences between the four types do not bar the conclusion that our earthen objects may have been of an identical destination in all the four basic forms. The data we have do not allow a more precise definition of this purpose, the less so, as the circumstances of uncovering are unknown yet. Their identical destination is proved by their almost uniform size in the first place, then by the similar character and system of perforations, the repeated occurrence of now finished, then unfinished piercings. The analogies of our objects may be equally classified into subordinate types. As we shall see below, their areas of extension and cultures are interdependent, therefore we may attribute a similar purpose to them. In the following we shall survey the range of parallels, mainly to find out their cultural connexions and diffusion, endeavouring to answer the question of their destination as well. Our analogies, nearest as regards territory and form, come from the material of the Lengyel culture at Z e n g Őv á г к о п у.

5 Such objects have been unearthed here at two occasions, in both cases the parallels of type "C" (Fig. 6, 4—5). One of the two similar, published objects was regarded by J. Dombay as an amulet or a whorl, though he was uncertain as to its purpose basically

6 (Fig. 6, 4). This specimen is pierced along one of the branches, similarly to one of the Bicske finds belonging to type "C" (Cat. No. 4., PL I, 4; Fig. 3, 3a—

b). J. Dombay devotes more attention to the other Zengővárkony specimen (Fig. 6, 5). Similarly to most objects of the Bicske type "C", this one is pierced slantingly, i.e. between the branches and not along one of them. According to Dombay, such objects were not found in the Zengővárkony graves but in the settlement, totalling not more than "one or two" (sic/) known specimens. Further he states: "Aus der Abnützung des Loches ist ersichtlich, dass sie aufgehängt gebraucht wurden."

1 He regarded the latter piece as an amulet or whorl equally. The Lengyel settlement itself has yielded parallels too, evidently the finds of the Lengyel culture. One of them (Fig. 6, 3) differs from the enumerated ones in being four-pointed and lacking perforation. A further specimen may have been also four-pointed, though one of the points is broken off entirely; nevertheless, it is visible that there was a rather broad vertical perforation (Fig. 6, 1). The third Lengyel piece is badly damaged, so its original form cannot be reconstructed exactly (Fig. 6, 2). Regarding the Lengyel pieces, Mór Wosins z к у has put forward his poinion that they may have been cart wheel models or imitations, he has even presented one of them with a wheel and felloe. This view has been refuted by Gy. Cziráky already, in connection with the similar Gombos specimens, reviewed by us in the following lines.

8 Two perfect parallels of the Bicske type "C" are derived from Vinca itself, both from a depth of 5,2 meters.

9 Both were six-pointed, the ends of the branches were thickened equally, and both were pierced crosswise (Fig. 4, la

—b, 2a

—b). The two objects, ornamented with incision (the original publication does not reveal the ornament) were regarded simply as votive objects by V a s i t s at that time. Further important parallels of the Bicske type "C" are derived from Gombos (Bogojeva). Judged by the accompanying pot-sherds, the finds cannot be dated to the earliest phase of the Vinca culture, a period coeval to the Csóka settlement,

10 since it would be an unlikely inference to classify the four similar earthen objects into the Körös culture, represented at the site equally. G y. Cziráky made a laconic but interesting statement as regards the specimens uncovered here: "Fig. 13 shows a peculiarity again. One of this kind has been found at Lengyel and Wosinszky holds it for a wheel, pre5 J. DOMBAY: Die Siedlung und das Gräberfeld Zengővárkony. Beiträge zur Kultur des Aeneolithikums in Ungarn. AH 37 (1960) 19, 219; PI. III, 6 and XCI, 4. e Op. cit. 19. 7 Ibid. 219. » GY. CZIRÁKY: Arch. Ért. 23 (1903) 58. » M. M. VASITS: Preistoriska Vinca III. Plastika. - Terakote. - (Beograd 1936) 148. io CZIRÁKY: op. cit. 57; Fig. 1-5. 10