Gyöngyössy Márton (szerk.): Perspectives on the Past. Major Excavations in County Pest (Szentendre, 2008)
(2700/2500-800 ВС) axes and a handful of bronze articles were also brought to light. The few mould fragments and slag lumps attest to local bronzeworking. Some pits ч The construction of the M6 Motorway in the Érd area was preceded by a salvage excavation in an area known as Hosszúföldek in 2004. Two sites were investigated on the northern bank of the Benta Stream: the northern section of a prehistoric site and the eastern section of the adjacent Roman Age site. About 700 features, accounting for one-half of all the excavated features, represented the archaeological heritage of the Middle Bronze Age Vatya culture. Sunken houses, storage and refuse pits, as well as clay extraction pits yielded finds of this culture. A few very deep pits, containing a rich assortment of finds, including intact household vessels and fine wares, likewise date from the Middle Bronze Age. The ceramics are dominated by small handled cups, jugs, a few vessels with encrusted patterns, loom weights and spindle whorls. In addition to the many pottery fragments, several bone tools, antler implements, broken stone contained human and animal skeletons. Their stratigraphic position (one was cut by the corner of a rectangular Iron Age pit) and the few pottery grave goods date them to the Middle Bronze Age. Most of the deceased were simply thrown into the pits; only a few were carefully laid to rest in a crouched position. The site was next occupied by an Urnfield community of the Late Bronze Age. The abundant find assemblage from this occupation period included a few iron implements, principally iron knives, but a few other iron artefacts of the Vál culture as well. The site’s occupants lived in timber-framed, above-ground houses during the Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. One house, built around a framework of ninety posts, had a boat shaped ground plan. • Katalin Ottományi A settlement of the Vatya culture at Érd
