A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 36. - 1994 (Nyíregyháza, 1995)

Eszter Bánffy: Transdanubia and Eastern Hungary in the Early Copper Age

) Transdanubia and Eastern Hungary in the Early Copper Age Eszter BÁNFFY A the time of the final collapse of the short or historical chronology it is important to be able to compare the calibrated l4C-dates with as detailed and elaborated relative chronological data as possible. Therefore it is still necessary to draw attention to some problems with the final Neolithic and Early Copper Age in the Carpathian basin. Although this is not, in fact, a poorly researched area, I have found the following unclarified points that are worth to mention. 1. Did the process of Chalcolithisation happen suddenly in Transdanubia, caused by immigrant groups of people as assumed earlier, or was it similar to that of the Tisza region? 2. Why did they not happen at about the same time? To begin with some general remarks, the transition between the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods should be considered as evidence. While Western Hungary was filled with the Lengyel II - later the Lengyel - III population, in the Tisza region the late Tisza-Herpály-Csőszhalom groups were in the main living in tell settlements, which survived till the Early Tiszapolgár culture. The slow process of Chalcolithisation is well-known, since the Proto-Tiszapolgár-horizon has been identified in the Herpály mound (KALICZ-RACZKY 1984.33.). It is an established fact that tell settlements were abandoned gradually, thus the Early Copper Age began with a slow structural change (PATAY 1983.49.). Meanwhile, since these periods have been the focal point of archaeological interest, it has become clear that instead of concentrated tells, several smaller provisional settlements came into use together with separate cemeteries and circular ditches intended for non profane purposes (KÁLLAY 1990). There is also a consensus of opinion in the nomination since the early works of I. Kutzián and later those of P. Patay (KUTZIÁN 1963.535-538; KUTZIÁN 1972. 183-188; PATAY 1974.) that the Copper Age begins with the Tiszapolgár culture and the Middle Copper Age is represented by the Bodrogkeresztúr culture. In short, it is fairly well-known when and how structural change happened in Eastern Hungary. Its relative chronological situation is reinforced by its relationship with neighbouring regions and cultures, such as the Lengyel culture in Transdanubia. In spite of this evidence, however, there is a contradiction that has not been solved yet. First of all, the western part of Hungary is far less researched in the discussed periods, and the data known are spread unevenly between Eastern Transdanubia and the western counties. The main body of data concerns Eastern Transdanubia, where the famous Zengővárkony and the eponymous Lengyel settlements are located. Secondly, parallel to the Tiszapolgár culture, the phase III of the Lengyel culture lived in Transdanubia, which is an integral successor of the classical (II) phase and thus part of a huge Late Neolithic complex. From this point of view we can only talk about a phase displacement between the two main parts of Hungary. What may have caused this difference? In the last few years a common project between the museums in county Zala and the Institute of Archeology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences made it possible to research the well-defined area of the Hahót valley systematically. Apart from smaller traces of Early and Late Lengyel and Balaton-Lasinja settlements, a large, more than one km long settlement of the latest Lengyel culture has been excavated. A detailed analysis of this settlement together with some other smaller Early and Middle Chalcolithic sites is already partly in print and partly in preparation for being published in a separate volume of the Zala Microregion Research (BANFFY 1995.). As a consequence, I am only willing to mention here a few cmcial points from the results, which belong to our acaial topic. A part of the site named Zalaszentbalázs-Szőlőhegyi mező has formerly been excavated by M. Bondár. In the last two campaigns the rests of three houses and some large refuse pits came to light with a rich archaeological find material from the latest Lengyel culture. Analyses of the chipped stone industry, animal bones (detailed results will be published by K. Bíró, E. Bácskay and L. Bartosiewicz) and some pottery types as well as considerable cultic finds reveal a substantiated image of the Late Neolithic. The vessels show some typical Lengyel forms, such as large pots with horizontal, very often spouted handles, pedestalled bowls and smaller mugs with many simple or perforated knobs. As to these latter clay finds, four