Tálas László szerk.: The late neolithic of the Tisza region (1987)

The Late Neolithic of the Tisza region: A survey of recent archaeological research (N. Kalicz and P. Raczky)

A SURVEY OF RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH Reconstruction of the so-called Venus II of Kökénydomb. Hódmezővásárhely—Kökénydomb. Tisza culture. H: 33 cm [3] The Csőszhalom group was distributed in the Upper Tisza region and the Bodrog valley (Tiszapolgár-Csőszhalom, Zalkod-Jakabdomb, Kenézlő, Sárazsadány-Templomdomb, Sárospatak—Vár, Cserepeskenéz). Only two sites are known outside the present-day borders of Hungary: Cicarovce and Oborin in Eastern Slovakia, both lying in the drainage basin of the Bodrog. The separation of the Csőszhalom group is primarily based on its distinct ceramic style and settlement pattern. It should, however, be borne in mind that its material culture contains numerous Tisza and Herpály elements, with an apparent dominance of Herpály traditions in pottery painting. The Late Neolithic settlements of the Tisza region show considerable variation, with numerous site forms existing side by side. Three basic settlement forms can be distinguished in terms of form, layout, layer thickness and areal extent: 1. Genuine tell settlements: the occupied area is densely Reconstruction of the so-called Venus III of Kökénydomb. Hódmezővásárhely—Kökénydomb. Tisza culture. H: 24 cm 14} settled and successive habitation deposits often accumulated to a height of 3 to 4 metres. Their form and extent was culturally determined. 2. Tell-like settlements with a less densely settled habitation area, fewer habitation levels and a layer sequence of not more than 1 to 2.5 metres. The horizontal extent of these tell-like sites generally exceeded by far that of real tells, they are usually flatter in form and hardly rise over the surrounding area. One basic 'technical' precondition to the emergence of tell and tell-like settlements was an architecture based on the combination of mud and wood, and an economy involving a sedentary way of life. 3. Single-layer, horizontal settlements with loosely scattered houses and other settlement features. The layer thickness of these single-period settlements rarely exceeds 25 to 50 cm. It is precisely this feature that distinguishes them from the tells and 15