A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 2. - 1959 (Nyíregyháza, 1961)

Kalicz Nándor: The Grave of Baktalórántháza

Also the way of intercourse is uncertain at present. The fact, however, that we meet the Baktalorantháza finds in the north-eastern part of the country, cannot be a mere chance. Connecting links are missing in Transdanubia. We may suppose that influences, objects of commercial exchange or infiltrating smaller ethnical groups arrived immediately from the North or North-east along the tributaries of the Tisza or through the Carpathian passes along the ancient Polish route.

42 The connection with Bohemia seems more probable in the case of the Pécel culture. So the influences radiating from the North reached two distinct areas of this country by different ways, acting more directly in one case, more indirectly in the other. The date of the connections and the chronological situation of the finds may be allocated between very broad limits. In the North such forms occur in the Dolmen and Baalberg periods at the earliest,

43 they are noticeable through the periods of the younger corridor graves, the so-called northern pottery of Salzmünde, Nosswitz and Bohemia, till the appearance of the Corded Ware and the Globular Amphora cultures. This is equal to 2200—1800 B.C. according to the chronology of Mildenberger.

44 It is but natural that the influence becoming typical of a certain group of finds could not be felt through such a long time. The extreme time limits of the Pécel culture, considering the various chronological fluctuations, may be defined in 2200 and 1900 in our country, the end of the period being parallel to Troy V.

45

~

4e Therefore, as regards chronology, the Pécel culture could have been in touch with all the mentioned northern groups.

47 This fact makes further investigation necessary. The finds of Ózd, or at least some of them, may be dated to a later time than mentioned above. This is the earliest phase of the Early Bronze Age in Hungary, when the folk of the Vucedol-Zók culture and of the Hatvan culture brings the independence of the Pécel culture to an end, or drives the remaining elements of it to Northern Hungary and Slovakia respectively.

48 So we may state that northern influences were at work even after 1900 B.C., nay they gained in weight in the latest Pécel material, colouring it considerably. On this ground we may identify the age of the Baktalorantháza finds with the latest phase of the Pécel culture, fixing it after the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, i.e. 1900 B.C. It is possible that the end of the Salzmünde group

50 ought to be brought a little lower to the time after 1900 B.C. The askos vessel of the Salzmünde group characterizes the Vucedol-Zók culture, following that of Pécel in this country ; the small animal plastics are the features of the Late Pécel material of Ozd and the Early Bronze Age Hatvan culture. This leads to the coevity of Salzmünde, Ózd, Baktalorantháza and Hatvan. This coincidence in time may naturally refer to the late phases of the Salzmünde and Ózd groups, but to the early ones of the Hatvan culture. Influences attributable to the Trichterbecher culture are found also in the material of the Hatvan culture.

51 Cremation was unusual in the northern circle. Setting a sporadical instance within the Bodrogkeresztur culture aside,

52 it appears in our country only with the Pécel culture, having an uncertain origin. It becomes generally typical only in the late phase of this culture, i.e. at the date of the Ózd finds. We may state with certainty, however, that the custom of cremation in the Pécel culture and the Baktalorantháza group of finds were closely 16