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

Vésztő-Mágor (K. Hegedűs and J. Makkay)

VESZTO-MAGOR Tisza period. There are other similarities, too, such as the presence of another house with parallelly aligned walls at a distance of 60-120 cm to the south of these superimposed houses, and the fact that the renewed walls practically overlie each other, as well as the matching position of the partitioning wall (when its remains could be observed), the doorway, and the hearth in the eastern room. A hearth could be observed in at least two levels in a spot corresponding to the later position of the cult assemblage. These similarities suggest not only the continuous renewal of this building, but also that the layout of this settlement part remained essentially unchanged during six successive occupation levels. This, in turn, argues strongly in favour of genetic links between the Szakáihát and Tisza cultures, and also indicates the relatively short duration of these two developmental phases since levels 1 and 2 represent the classical phase of the Szakáihát group. (Finds of the early formative Szakáihát phase and of the Alföld Linear PotterySzakálhát transition — the so-called Furugy-type - have not yet been recovered from the excavated areas.) However, these latter issues shall not be discussed in the present study since our main point of interest is the Tisza building uncovered in levels 3a, 3b and 4 that had been renewed twice and that yielded the impressive cult assemblage (level 4). The description and reconstruction of this building and the cult assemblage runs into minor difficulties for they were unearthed in six different trenches and during five successive campaigns between September 10,1973, and August 14,1975. Moreover, a small section of the walls in the northeastern corner and the northwestern corner of the house fell outside the excavated area. The field notes describe the various features and finds in order of the excavation, proceeding from the upper to the lower levels; in this discussion, however, these shall be described according to their chronological position. The deepest-lying feature of the building in level 3a was found to lie 30 cm below the floor: the bottom (?) of the bedding trench of the walls. Only after a meticulous study of the excavation records can it be established whether this bedding trench was cut into, or cut through, a very early, extremely thin Tisza level, or only cut into underlying Szakáihát remains, the house debris and bedding trenches of levels 2a and 2b. This bedding trench was about 30-35 cm wide and rounded at the corners of the house; its cross-section is not known. The area enclosed by this foundation trench, the subsequent living area of the house, was slightly dished. A layer of greenish-grey clay was first spread over it, and then a 5 to 10 cm thick sterile clay, whose surface was carefully smoothed. A series of about 15 cm wide planks was then set or driven into the trench along both its sides. Remains of these planks could be observed both outside and inside the walls in the form of small wood splinters. The wall was packed and raised inbetween this planking and is thus a characteristic form of térre pisé. The clay used in the construction of the house was mined from pits within the occupied area of the tell since it contained pottery sherds, burnt daub fragments and specks of charcoal. An almost inReconstruction of the fragments described under (16) without fragments (a) as an independent sacrificial or libation table of the cult assemblage. Tisza culture. H: about 36.5 cm [10] ii;IS; irs: 93