Szőllősy Csilla - Pokrovenszki Krisztián (szerk.): Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis - Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei. C. sorozat 45. (Székesfehérvár, 2017)

Tanulmányok/közlemények - Régészet - Keszi Tamás: A nagyrévi kultúra szimbolikus ábrázolásokkal díszített urnái Kiapostag - Dunai-dűlő lelőhelyről. Alternatív javaslat a Budapest - Pannonhalmi úti edény ábrázolásának értelmezésére

Tamás Kes^i: Cinerary urns from the Nagyrév Culture ornamented with symbolic representations found at the Kisapostag - Dunai-dűlő site

although the squares that form the body are different.52 Due to their position, the two projections (formed by a line bent at nearly a right angle) on the Kisapostag vessel can be expressly interpreted as feet. The ‘three-fingered’ pair of limbs in the middle cannot be considered as a stylised human being, even if also consider the upper pair as such. The two projections on the head of the figure may symbolise horns — just like in the case of the figures on the Dunaújváros vessel.53 On both vessels, the lower pairs of limbs differ from the upper ones — clearly reflecting the differences between human legs and arms. This suggests that we are dealing with anthropoid, but not human, beings. In the case of the creature with two pairs of limbs on the Dunaújváros vessel, the horns probably do not indicate a person wearing a mask, rather to some kind of supernatural creature.54

This interpretation confirms the separation of representations classified to groups A and B: the elements forming the arms of the Dunaújváros and Kisapostag figures occur in both groups, but they appear to symbolise up to three different things depending on the context.55

The triangular projection on the Kisapostag vessel’s decorative band and its odd position between the two legs of the main figure may indicate the special nature of these figures. Its shape and central placement make it similar to the omphalos, the navel of the Earth.56 57 Similar figures seated upon conical objects are known from later Scandinavian petroglyphs (Fig. 10, No. 3).51

Comb motifs similar to those of the Kisapostag vessel (Fig. 9, No. 3) are considered to represent the human head,58 which is confirmed by full human figures from Tószeg (11 Fig. 1).59 In this case, however, this is not so unequivocal: while on the representations on the Tököl60 (Fig. 5, No. 5) or Mokrin61 (Fig. 11, No. 2) vessels, there are two small vertical ‘sticks’ in the middle of the horizontal band, which can be interpreted as necks, on the Kisapostag vessel, they are located at the two ends of the band. Similar motives are likely to have a different meaning in this case as well.

The situation is similar in the case of the W-motif on urn No. 38, where in one case it represents human body parts, while it obviously symbolises something totally different - perhaps the same as its counterpart in a similar position found on urn No. 100 — as part of a motif under the handle.

The 3x3 grooves may have had the same — and probably specific — meaning, as the groups of grooves appear in a similar position on both Kisapostag urns. It would be difficult to ascribe a simple ornamental function to this not very decorative group of markings.

An open question is whether or not there is a connection among motifs that are in a similar position as those of the Kisapostag and Dunaújváros vessels, and if so, what kind of connection is this. To answer this question, further information is needed.62

Purpose of the vessels with symbolic ornaments, and their role as an indicator of social status

52 The Xs filling the rectangles on the body of the creatures on the Dunaújváros vessel might indicate clothes or tattoos as well. Until further findings, it is uncertain whether they merely differ from the figures of the Kisapostag vessel from a stylistic point of view.

53 It would not be impossible that a building decorated with horns was depicted. This habit was already widespread in the Carpathian Basin in the Neolithic Age (KALICZ 1970, Fig. 8, more recendy DRAßOVEAN - SCHIER 2010, 176), and we can also encounter this phenomenon in the Bronze Age (HOTI 1990, 3, 1-2). The figure with a tripartite body and three pairs of limbs could also be the depiction of an insect. There are examples of depictions of arachnids too from Göbekli Tepe (refer to SCHMIDT 2010, 245: Fig. 10; HODER - MESKELL 2010, 39, Fig. 2.4, 2.6; DIETRICH et al. 2012, Fig. 10; SCHMIDT 2013, 146-147, Fig. 7) and from Körtik Tepe (ÖZKAYA - SAN 2007, Fig. 18; summarily: WALTER 2014). This, however, seems to be contradicted by the different shaping of the legs and arms and the similar figure on the Dunaújváros vessel which, however, has two pairs of limbs.

54 Analogies to the depiction of the legs of the creatures on the Dunaújváros vessel are also known in a Neolithic context from the Middle East (GARFINKEL 2003, 291-295, Fig. 7.3:b, 12.12:g, 13.2-3). These figures have also been identified as supernatural beings (GARFINKEL 2003, 295). Perhaps the unusual positioning of the legs supports the above hypothesis in the case of the Bronze Age artefact as well.

55 BRADLEY 2009, 44-45.

56 KLP 299.

57 KRITIANSEN - LARSSON 2005, Fig. 106.

58 CSÁNYI 1983, 56-57.

59 SCHREIBER 1984a, Fig. 6, No. 1, 4a-b.

60 SCHREIBER 1984a, Fig. 8, No. 5

61 G1RIC 1971, T. LXXIV, 1, T. LXXXIX; SCHREIBER 1984a, Fig. 11, No. la-d.

62 This identity' seems obvious in the case of the motifs opposite to the handle. The motif under the handle on the Kisapostag urn can be interpreted as horns, and thus can be associated with the horned creature on the Dunaújváros vessel - this abstraction is not unimaginable, but it is unprovable for the time being. The square, stair-like groups of markings engraved on both sides of the central motifs include both a W motif and VW motif - the latter can be considered as a derivative of the former.

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