A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 41. - 1999 (Nyíregyháza, 1999)

Régészet - Ivan Popovich: Study of the Early Iron Age sites in the Transcarpathian region

Study of the Early Iron Age sites in the Transcarpathian region Ivan Popovich The beginning of the Early Iron Age in the northeastern part of the Carpathian basin is characterized by strong historical-cultural changes connected with the appearance of new ethnic groups of eastern Iranian origin - the representatives of the Mezőcsát Culture (PATEK 1967.101-105,PATEK 1974.339, PATEK 1980. 162, KEMENCZEI 1984.228, CHOCHOROWSKI 1989/A. 527-534, CHOCHOROWSKI 1993.231-218). The questions of the genesis of this culture are still discussed. Certain researchers connect the appearance of Mezőcsát finds at the Great Hungarian Plain with Caucasian-Pontic milieu (GAZDAPUSZTAI 1966.307, MOZSOLICS 1984.48.), others with the steppe zone of the North Pontic region (BONA 1984.170-171, KEMENCZEI 1986/B. 15, HARMATTÁ 1946/48.131). Gáva Culture which occupied significant territories of the Middle and Upper Tisza region and that of the neighbouring Kyjatice Culture ceased to exist already in the middle of the 9th century B.C. Territories lying closer to the Carpathian range were influenced by the mentioned processes only indirectly. In East Slovakia, Carpathian Ukraine and partly in Transylvania, Gáva Culture continued to exist almost until the appearance of the Thraco-Scythian sites (DUSEK 1978., PÁRDUCZ 1973., VASILIEV 1980., CHOCHOROWSKI 1985., POPOVICH 1993.). In recent works the following terms have been used for the finds mentioned above: Gáva III, Szomotor/ Somotor type, pre-Kushtanovica/Kustánfalva horizon (PASTOR 1958.314, PLEINEROVÁ-OLMEROVÁ 1958.109, BUDINSKY-KRICKA 1976., MIROSSAJOVÁ 1987., SMIRNOVA 1966., BALAHURI 1972., POPOVICH 1989., CHOCHOROWSKI 1989/A.540). In the present study the author suggests new materials on the pre-Kushtanovica sites of the Transcarpathian region. The question of the lower chronological border of the latest pre-Kushtanovica finds is of principle significance for determining the chronology of this group of sites. In this context the bronze sword treasure discovered near the village Chornij Potik/Feketepatak is of key 1. I am grateful to I. Kobal' for the information he kindly provided for me. importance. The treasure was found in August 1997 at the northern outskirts of settlement Iarovica, 250 m to the east from the dwelling houses, at the foot of a hill near which village Chornij Potik is situated. The discovery was made by local teenager shepherds. Accordingto local inhabitant M.B. Shevchuk, one of the cows stepped onto the point of a sword standing vertically. The rest of the objects were dispersed around it. Finds were quickly collected by local inhabitants. A whole sword and a lower part of another one was collected by M.I. Fehér, the history teacher of the local school where these pieces are kept to-date. I went to see the site. Judging from the place where the whole sword was found, it was placed into a small, ovoid, 0.4 m deep (from the modern surface) pit the diameter of which was 0.8 m. Lengthwise it was oriented north-east. No traces of an ancient settlement have been found around the pit. A schoolboy gave me a fragment of the blade of a sword coming from this place. So, to-date we have authentic data on three swords. Further 3 fragments are kept at M.B. Shevchuk's place, and a hilt of a sword was taken by an inhabitant of Svaliava/Szolyva.

1 So, there were at least 7 swords in the treasure (one whole, one hilt and five fragments of blades). We have data on 1 whole sword and 4 fragments from 4 swords. The treasure from Chornij Potik is one of the largest ones consisting of swords known from the Transcarpathian region up to this moment. Taking into account these swords, the whole collection of bronze swords (KOBAL' 1999) consists of 60 pieces. From typological point of view we have to classify it as a so called "clean treasure". The description of the known finds of the treasure is the following: 1. An entirely preserved sword. Unfortunately, its green patina was cleaned, at the moment it has a natural bronze colour. Its length is 48 cm. The hilt is ovoid, barrel shaped, widening in its central part and narrowing towards the point and the pommel. The maximal diameter of the hilt is 1.9 cm. Its upper end continues as a sharp conical part transiting into an antenna shaped pommel reminding two volutes crossing each other. The length of the hilt with the pommel is 9.5 cm. The hilt is connected to the blade with a segment shaped cross-bar with an ovoid crossA Jósa András Múzeum Évkönyve XLI. 1999. 137-159. 137