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 and Mesopotamia. This artefact is also interesting because its close parallels were found in the I. shrine167 of the Square Temple in ancient Eshnunna (Tell Asmar),168 where, among others, a stamp seal representing a horned human figure surrounded by two serpents (Fig. 12, No. 8) was discovered.169 Massive spread indicates the intensity of relationships. The period of intense relationships must have been preceded by a period in which the systems of relationships were still evolving. Sporadically occurring artefacts that suggest relationships with the Middle East may be mementos of this process. Another reason for sporadic occurrence is that certain objects that are strongly embedded in a given cultural context cannot easily be integrated into a different cultural system, and therefore there is no massive demand for them. Garment pins — even where dressing habits are different — are relatively easy to adapt to one’s attire, and due to their metal content and distant origin, indicate the wearer’s status even if they are pinned to a different place or in a different manner than in the culture in which they were manufactured. The statuette of Weilmiinster is also an important find, because it shows that objects that were an integral part of Middle Eastern beliefs could travel thousands of kilometres across cultural boundaries. The prestige that it brought to its current owner could have played a role in the fact that the statuette ended up so far from the place where it was made. Not less important proof of such relationships are the finds that were made locally, but their shape and manufacturing technique is of Middle Eastern origin. These include faience beads,170 or the slotted spearhead171 found in Kyhna in Saxony. Its composition does not differ from that of the other clearly locally made objects.172 A similar phenomenon can be reckoned in the case of the representation of the Pannonhalmi út vessel: it can be considered as a local version of a motif adopted from a Middle Eastern object that ended up in the Carpathian Basin at a certain point of its life cycle (whose length is indefinable). We can only guess the nature of the original object. It could have been a stamp seal, a seal impression used for the authentication of certain goods,173 a jewel or a vessel. Of course, ‘invisible’ export goods made of organic materials should also be considered.174 The possibility of the influence of Trojan textile art has arisen in connection with geometric ornamentation used in the Nagyrév Culture.175 Differences that can be observed in comparison with the well-known Middle Eastern representations may be due to this fact, or to the fact that the imagery used in the Nagyrév pottery style seeks symmetry176 (which perhaps has similar yet independent roots). Therefore, it is a scene adapted to the local culture, not a copy. This may explain the appearance of the stool motif, which is missing in Middle Eastern depictions of horned figures holding serpents.177 Remaking of a scene depicted on an object originating from a foreign cultural context could have been inspired by the fact that similar horned creatures could have been present in the belief system of the Nagyrév Culture.178 In Crete, a goddess, or one of her priestesses, holds one or more serpents in her hand(s). In the northern parts of Europe, in prehistoric times and in the Antiquity, creatures with antlers/horns, holding serpents were clearly male deities. The latter can be assumed in the case of the Budapest vessel as well, which is also confirmed by the position of the figure’s legs, which implies the wearing of trousers/leggings, whereas in Bronze Age representations from the Carpathian Basin, women can be clearly recognised based on their skirt.179 Another important difference is that — in contrast to the Cretan representations — our anthropoid figure has horns. These two circumstances suggest that there is no direct connection between representations in Crete and in the Carpathian Basin, so the idea of a creature with 16 The temple can be dated to the Early Dynastic Period II, i.e. 2750—2600 BC: FRANKFORT 1936, 40-41. Accordingly, Hansen dates the preparation of the statuette to the second quarter of the 3rd millennium BC (HANSEN 2001, 49). 168 FRANKFORT 1935, 23-24, 27, 29, Fig. 24, 28. 169 FRANKFORT 1935, 29-31, Fig. 29-30. ,'° SHERRATT 1993, 22. 11 GERLOFF 1993, 73—74, Fig. 6. Florian Miketta expressed a different opinion: MIKETTA 2011. His arguments are not convincing. The Kyhna spearhead differs from the Middle Eastern specimens only in an insignificant typological feature. However, it differs from European stone daggers in terms of material and, above all, function and method of use. In addition, from a typological point of view, the slots on the Kyhnai spearhead’s blade differentiate this object more from European daggers than its tang from Middle Eastern spearheads. 172 MARAN 2007, 17-18, Note 103. Middle Eastern specimens were classified into the type L 4. F, and dated to the end of the 3,d or beginning of the 2"J millennium BC (GERNEZ 2007a, 343—344, Fig. 2.101, Carte 43). r3 The question of the presence of Mesopotamian cylinder seals, impressions and local adaptations made based on them in the Carpathian Basin have been repeatedly raised (TORMA 1887,76 - quoted by: MAKKAY 1969, 14; YLASSA 1963, 492, Note 13; FALKENSTEIN 1965, 273; VLASSA 1970; HOOD 1973), although in the absence of genuine original finds, this idea is unprovable for the time being. r4 CRAWFORD 1973,235-236. 175 SHERRATT 1993,23. 1-6 CSÁNY1 1992, 86. 1 Although in some of the Middle East objects the central figure sits on a stool-like chair: SARIANIDI 1998, cat. 26, 27. 18 Based on typological considerations, the Dunaújváros and Kisapostag vessels are younger than the one found at Budapest — Pannonhalmi út, but this does not mean that the knowledge of horned creatures would only be limited to the narrow period of time when these two vessels were prepared and used. r9 See note No. 40. 37 I
