Csányi Marietta et al. (szerk.): Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 25. (Szolnok, 2016)
Régészeti tanulmányok - Fülöp Kristóf: Különleges késő bronzkori gyermeksír és miniatűr edénykészlete
FÜLÖP KRISTÓF: KÜLÖNLEGES KÉSŐ BRONZKORI GYERMEKSÍR ÉS MINIATŰR EDÉNYKÉSZLETE Kristóf Fiilöp A special Late Bronze Age child grave and its miniature vessel set In 2014 at the site of Jobbágyi-Hosszú-dűlő a special skeletal child grave was uncovered in the cremation cemetery of the Late Bronze Age Tumulus culture (Fig. 1-2). The two years old child and its special grave goods (miniature vessel set, three boot shaped vessels, a perforated clay disk, a small bronze sheet) were found in a secondary position carefully separated from each other in an approx. 40 by 50 cm pile in the southeast corner of the grave (Fig. 3-4). Most of the grave goods have traces of former use (Fig. 6/2-4, 6/5c-d, 6/7b) and in case of two boot shaped vessels deliberate fragmentation can be detected (Fig. 6/6b, 6/7a). Based on the quality of the vessels two, or maybe three knowledge levels can be differentiated: complete beginner, beginner, experienced. Due to the vessels’ poor quality and complete or partial lack of imitation it is possible that these objects were made by children. Examining this possibility in detail five ’maturity phases’ were defined by the nature and specialities of the biological and psychological development of children. The ceramics of the Jobbágyi child grave could be classified in phases 2 to 5. Consequently their making by the two years old child can be ruled out except for the shallow bowls. The other pieces are most likely the works of older children (Fig. 5). The peculiarity of the examined grave is underlined not just by the distinct treatment of the body but other factors as well. A clear evidence of later disturbance is shown by the secondary position of the human remains and objects as well as the greenish colouration on the atlas indicating the earlier presence of a bronze artefact. Based on the characteristics of the disturbance the opening of the grave, the rearrangement of the body and the grave goods as well as the removal of the bronze object can be reconstructed as part of a socially accepted communicational act in a ritual context. The characteristics and the number of the objects emphasize and separate the burial from the rest of the cemetery. During the funerary ritual these objects with different qualities, traces of use and deliberate fragmentation become the expression of the deceased’s identity. This meaning of the vessels gets its connotation and significance not by the presence of the single objects but by the conscious selection of each pieces and their formation into a specific set. These special features clearly point at the peculiar position of the deceased in the society. Out of the 12 excavated skeletal graves 11 were children (Infans l-ll). This strong connection between the skeletal rite and children indicates that this peculiarity is connected to the status of children, as many examples demonstrate from prehistory to today. 131
