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 It is only the lack of metal objects from the Late Lengyel period that can argue for a less advanced culture in Hungary. The Lengyel period offers no trace of metal use at a time when Tibava and Tiszapolgár left copper and gold horizons. This apparent backwardness is somewhat contradicted equalized by the finds of the so-called 3rd copper horizon (KALICZ 1982. 7.), which is much richer than that of Transdanubia. Apart from the lack of any Late Lengyel and Balaton-Lasinja cemeteries - from where most golden objects come in the Tiszapolgár-Bodrogkeresztúr culture, - the Csáford-Stollhof type depots occur rarely and copper imitations of such objects are more typical (as e.g. in Zalavár-Basasziget - VIRÁG 1986. or the similar newly found piece from Hornstaad-Hörnle, DIECKMANN 1987., STRAHM 1988.). Some researchers take ecological factors into consideration. According to H. Todorova (TODOROVA 198927.) a strong climatic change took place at the end of the Neolithic (in Hungarian terms): it was the warmest time phase since the last Glacial period. This had its effect on all European regions: although the sea level rose 3-5 m higher than earlier, (see also MORRISON 1968.92-98.) the inland steppe regions probably together with Eastern Hungary - began to deteriorate. As the soil became dry and hard to cultivate - especially with Neolithic instruments, the importance of animal farming grew and gradually took the place of agriculture. This process, which is easily observable in Eastern Hungary, influenced Transdanubia to a lesser extent, because owing to its different landscape, vegetation and a more humid climate, the deterioration was less intensive. Therefore, the Late Lengyel population probably did not have to stop or reduce plant cultivation for the sake of stock-breeding. (According to F. Gyulai's oral information, some remains of cultivated plants such as barley were found in Zalaszentbalázs in soil samples, and on sherds in the form of negative imprints.) Thus, ecological factors could well play a leading role in the retarded Chalcolithisation of Transdanubia. On the other hand, it is necessary to mention that some traces of a hidden and slow Chalcolithisation can be found at this period. First of all, as K.H. Simon also observed, settlements of the Early Chalcolithic Lengyel phase and those of the Middle Chalcolithic Balaton-Lasinja culture are often to be found near each other, so the preferred land use was the same in both periods (SIMON 1990.52.). I could add to this statement that the number of Late Lengyel settlements has been growing in the last years, so there is no notable difference for the Balaton-Lasinja-settlements as it was earlier assumed. Another argument for the break between the Late Lengyel and the Balaton-Lasinja groups is that the latter settled in alpine regions high above sea level, to areas that had not been populated since the Late Palaeolithic (KALICZ 1982.5.). In the light of the above mentioned facts, these provisional settlements could perhaps be nothing other than traces of a mobile, stock breeding population. Thus, the existence of alpine settlements is no argument for a different immigrant group of people, but rather for the growing importance of animal farming instead of agriculture. This phenomenon closely corresponds to the slow structural formation of Copper Age society. The transition from a few large Neolithic to many smaller Chalcolithic settlements can perhaps be observed also in Zalaszentbalázs, where different parts of the longish settlement were not quite simultaneously in use, but some smaller parts of two or three houses can be distinguished. They were never rebuilt, rather, they were abandoned after their demolition in order to establish a new settlement nucleus some hundred meters further on. Having established some possible causes for the relatively retarded development of Transdanubia, and having referred to a few traces of a hidden Chalcolithisation of the youngest Lengyel groups, some words now about the processes which lead to the formation of the Middle Chalcolithic Balaton- Lasinja culture. Contrasting to his earlier assumptions, N. Kalicz distinguished some new types of Lengyel III pottery in his latest works, such as large bowls with pourin

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es or pedestalled bowls and „fruit-stands" with a slightly bell-shaped support, but he still stresses the differences between this phase and the Balaton- Lasinja culture (KALICZ 1991.). Meanwhile, Kalicz regards the black polished pottery, biconical mugs with hanging knobs as well as the one-handled jars of the Balaton-Lasinja culture as proofs of a southern migration to Transdanubia (KALICZ 1973-, KALICZ 1991). Biconical cups or mugs can perhaps be considered the leading vessel form in Zalaszentbalázs, the break being mostly about two or three cm below the rim. Knobs are very often applied to the break. In the succeeding Balaton-Lasinja culture the place under the rim becomes convex and decorated with parallel incisions, while the roundish knob gets more hanging down. In the Lengyel material we have found one black sherd with parallel incisions on the rim, too. Egg-shaped pots with two little vertical handles on the shoulder also occur. This, in a more developed form, is typical of the Middle Copper Age. In Zalaszentbalázs some sherds of fine black polished ware have been found. Besides these, there are fragments of biconical types. As evidence that they are not imports, and thus marginal phenomena: as it were a small present from the former potter, pieces of real graphite have been found near the sherds. It is also to be noted, that this black ware is not very common even in Balaton-Lasinja settlements. From two sites excavated within the Microregion project and one in the neighbouring Little Balaton area, only three such fragments came to light from the BalatonJósa András Múzeum Évkönyve 1994 293