Selmeczi László szerk.: Szolnok Megyei Múzeumi Évkönyv (1982-83)

Cs. Siklódi: An early Copper Age settlement at Tiszaföldvár

which could not be assembled from their fragments, the inhabitants of the house had storage facilities for at least 400-500 1 of grain. This pottery assemlage represents about two-thirds of the original assemblage, since numerous sherds could not be assembled into specific vessels. One of the storage vessels (PI. 3:1) is best paralelled ,by a specimen from Hódmezővásárhely-Kökénydomb

9 and thus indicates strong ties with the Tisza culture. The fragment of a lowpedestalled chalice found in a pit of quadrant II is also reminiscent of Neolithic traditions. An early dating of the find assemblage is also supported by other vessels types which can be traced to Neolithic antecedents. Bowls with out-turned rims and small applied bosses on the carination line (PI. 5:2) are matched by vessels of the Tisza

10 and Lengyel

11 cultures. The precursors of biconical vessels with cylindrical necks

12 are also to be found in the Tisza culture. A variant with pedestal and incrusted ornamentation is one of the most beautiful pieces of the Tiszaföldvár finds (PI. 4:3-4,6). The fragment of a bowl with a rectangular rim (PI. 11:1) can also be classified as an early type, a heritage of the Herpály culture. The patterned vessel fragment shown in PI. 8:1 is an unusual form within the Kisrétpart group. According to I. B.-Kutzián this is a characteristic type of the Deszk group (type B3a-c), known from Óbessenyő, Csóka, Szerbkeresztúr (Srbski Krestur), Deszk and Crna Вага

13

. At Deszk this type was found in three graves yielding finds characteristic of the early (A) phase of the Deszk group. The vessel unearthed in grave 10 of TápéLebő cemetery is also reminscent of Neolithic forms

14

. The Tiszaföldvár fragment, however, was made locally and cannot be regarded as an import, as shown by the pattern of impressed dots filled with incrustation. Its paralells are to be found in the southern part of the distribution area; in Yugoslavia this type also occurs in the earlier, so-called Prototiszapolgár phase. According to B. Brukner this type evolved under Vinca influences

15

. The influence of the other groups of the Tiszapolgár culture is indicated by the vessel shown in PI. 3:2, a type characteristic of the Basatanya group. Settlement have yielded several types of vessels which do not occur in cemeteries. One of these is the low-pedestalled truncated conical bowl with straight or slightly concave sides. Similar specimens were found at Obéba (Beba Veche)

16

, Versec (Vrsäc)

1

?, Bélmegyer-Mondok

18

. In the opinion of K. Szabó "the Kisréti part settlement is best characterized by the frequent occurence of low-pedestalled bowls"

19

. This type has a smaller variant not with a pedestal, but a ring base, which was perhaps also used as a lid (PI. 5:1). This is a form which was already known during the Neolithic Age. An identical piece was found at the Aszód settlement together with Early Lengyel material.

20 The percentage of different knob types in various find assemblages also helps to give more precise dating within the culture. 77,6% of the knobs of the so-called Prototiszapolgár phase at Lucska (Lucky) were round and oval with pointed ones amounting to 4%. This ratio was 38,5% and 58,1% in the Tiszapolgár material from Tiba (Tibava)

21

. The percentage in the Tiszaföldvár material is somewhere between the two, but closer to the first. It should, however, be pointed out that statistics can only be regarded as rough guides since the type of assemblage necessarily affects the results. In the case of settlement pottery the ratio of round knobs is always higher since these occur on storage vessels and coarse pots as well as on barrel-shaped vessels. The differences in the ratio of different types of knob support the hypothesis that the most important factor in the emergence of the Tiszapolgár culture was the presence of an autochtonous population. Pointed knobs which subsequently became a prominent feature of the Tiszapolgár culture had already appeared in the Herpály group. The gradual change is an indication of historical process which can be witnessed not only in the Great Hungarian Plain, but also in the entire Carpathian Basin. Gy. Gazdapusztai has been able to define the transitional phase preceding the Tiszapolgár culture on the basis of the material excavated at Hódmezővásárhely-Gorzsa (Cukor major)

22

. This period was characterized by Oborin-type finds in Slovakia (called Csőszhalom-Oborin group)

23

. This group is closely related to the Pecenady phase of the Lengyel culture in the western areas of the Carpathian Basin, which saw the end of Neolithic development and the older phase of the Lengyel culture in Western Slovakia.

24 Knobs played an increasing role in the decoration of pottery, while painted patterns disappeared completely by the end of the period. The unpainted Brodzany-Nitra phase is preceded by the recently defined Topolcany-Szob chronological horizon

25

. This horizon can be equated with the Prototiszapolgár phase documented at Lucska (Lucky) and Veiké Raskovce in Eastern Slovakia

26

. In Transdanubia the period contemporary to the Tiszapolgár culture is represented by the material unearthed at Veszprém-Felszabadulás út, with a similar system of knobs in the ornamentation of pottery. The most marked difference is the lack of painted fine ware in the last phase of the Lengyel culture

27

. In Western Slovakia the Tiszapolgár culture corresponds to the Brodzany-Nitra phase, which is further divided into two subphases. The early phase is represented by the material from Brodzany which includes a few painted fragments

28

. Recent excavations at Bélmegyer

29

, Endrőd

30 and Tiszaföldvár have yielded Tisza polgár finds comprising sherds with traces of black painting. The inner surface of truncated conical bowls were occasionally decorated with horizontal bands running parallel to the rim (PI. 8:3-4), similar to the shoulder and body of cooking pots (PI. 8:5-7). Painted ware, however, constitutes only a small percentage of the assemblages, and since paint rubs off easily, it is often very hard to detect. Earlier excavations yielded black-painted ceramic ware which could be linked to the genetic forerunner of the Tiszapolgár culture, the Herpály culture. P. Patay mentioned that the second campaign at Bodrogkeresztur conducted by F. Tompa in 1935 yielded "a few painted sherds which are unknown amongst the finds of the first campaign. The meandrine patterns painted in black are similar to the incised decoration of the Tisza culture."

31 Similar finds are known from Kenézlő

32 and Zsáka-Várdomb

33

, as well as from Paszab, a site of the Tisza culture.

34 But since there are two chronological horizons, one distinguished by white-painted decoration, the other by the lack of the painted decoration, between the black-painted ware of the Herpály culture and the Tiszapolgár culture, the origins of this black painting cannot be traced directly to the former. Suspension knobs occur only in the Kisrétpart group. At Tiszaföldvár this type was found not only on sherds, but also along the rim of an elongated barrelshaped vessel (PI. 6:6). The material from Tiszaföldvár is best paralleled by the finds from the Tiszaug-Kisrétpart site, excavated by K. Szabó. The similarities can be attributed to the proximity and matching geographical enviroment of the two sites. But since a larger area was excavated at Tiszazug (400 m

2

), and the thickness of the cultural deposits was greater, a large amount of material was brought to light in the course of the excavations.

36 Special mention must be made of three miniature vessels, beautifully decorated incised and encrusted designs (PI. 7:1-3) found in quadrate I. They could perhaps be regarded as toys, but there is another possible interpretation. One of the houses 29