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)

N. KAUCZ-P. RACZKY Regional differences can be observed in pottery ornamentation that are culturally diagnostic for the various cultural units of the Late Neolithic in the Great Hungarian Plain. The dawn of a new period is marked by the appearance of a new ware distributed over the entire Great Hungarian Plain. These vessels were coated with bitumen into which were embedded straw or chaff cut into small pieces and arranged into patterns. Another widespread ornamental motif of this period is black painting with bold wide bands (KALICZ-RACZKY 1984, 131-132; RACZKY 1985, 104). The diagnostic decorative technique of the Tisza culture was incision with the incised meandric patterns set within panels covering the entire vessel surface. There is a general consensus that these patterns imitated woven textile or rushwork patterns. Vessels ornamented with incised patterns were rarely polished and were generally fired to an orange or bright red colour. Most Herpály vessels were decorated with a variety of painted patterns. The changes in the combination of colours offers a reliable basis for the internal periodisation of this culture. Vessels were painted after firing; the paint was applied onto a white base or the natural vessel surface. The early Herpály phase is characterised by patterns painted in black with fine, delicate strokes, and the following phase by a combination of red painted wide bands framing finely painted white patterns, while the late phase by the predominance of white painting. Most Herpály vessels are invariably carefully smoothed or polished. Csőszhalom pottery was also generally ornamented with patterns painted in red and white colours. These patterns and their execution share numerous similarities with Herpály pottery, and, following the excavations at Herpály, it remained to be defined whether this combination of red and white painting marked a diagnostic cultural trait at Csőszhalom, or rather, a 'fashion' in pottery decoration that also appeared in Herpály contexts. The present evidence would suggest that the Csőszhalom group evolved on a Tisza basis with strong Herpály influences, and the definition of its cultural independence remains a task for future studies. The usage of the term Csőszhalom group adequately reflects the gaps and uncertainties in our understanding of this complex. It would appear that Herpály influences played a dominant role in the evolution of Csőszhalom pottery forms and ornamentation since the ceramic assemblages from Cicarovce and Csőszhalom contain incised Tisza pottery in unsiginificant number. Flaked and polished stone implements and tools, semifinished products and their raw material abounds on all Late Neolithic sites of the Tisza region. A small vessel containing a flint hoard came to light at Szegvár-Tűzköves (unpublished) and a deposit of stone axes at Szerencs—Taktaföldvár (HELLEBRAND 1979, 7-24). This conspicuous abundance of stone artefacts and raw materials is only attested from the Late NeoUpper part of a stylized figurine. Coka-Kremenjak (Csóka-Kremenyák). Tisza-Vinca culture. H: 6.8 cm [10] lithic on, and is thus also indicative of the beginning of a new era in the Great Hungarian Plain. Artefacts manufactured from stone include querns, grinding stones, polishers and pounders. Recent excavations have brought to light a variety of bone and antler artefacts, including types that were unknown previously. Bone artefacts include awls, needles, polishers and burnishers. Antler was predominantly used for manufacturing large-size axes and adzes, borers, hammers, spade-like perforated implements, as well as fishing hooks, barbed harpoons and fishing spears. The costume and personal ornaments of the Tisza, Herpály and Csőszhalom population can be reconstructed from settlement finds and, chiefly, on the basis of grave goods and the decorative motifs on clay idols. The most favoured personal ornaments appear to have been beads fashioned from clay, bone, stone, Spondylus shell and copper. Their form ranges from barrel-shaped to cylindrical and disc-shaped. Flat, button-like beads with a V-shaped perforation, carved mostly from stone or Spondylus, first appear in the Late Neolithic. Beads, often interstrung with deer teeth, were generally worn as necklaces, occasionally as bracelets, and sometimes as belts, for in some burials they were found in the region of the head, neck, arms, waist and the knees. Armrings were mostly fashioned from Spondylus and copper, and their use appears to have been quite widespread. Copper armrings are often 20