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

Régészet - Eszter Istvánovits: Tiszavasvári-Városföldje, Jegyző-tag. A settlement of the 5th century

Tiszavasvári-Városföldje, Jegyző-tag. A settlement of the 5th century features of the northern territory (northeastern part of the Carpathian basin), they characterize mainly the assemblages of the late period (after the middle of the 4th century). Among rarer forms we can mention handmade plain bowls with steep walls (PI. VIII. 1). A similar form (of much bigger size) is known from pit 9 of Hódmezővásárhely-Solt-Palé (PÁRDUCZ 1938.98,102,1.t.8). Storage vessels Beside the bowls one of the most frequent types of the Tiszavasvári settlement is represented by storage vessels (e.g. Pl. X.5, XIV. 1-2, XV. 1-3, XIX.l, XX.3, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII.l, XXXI.1-2, LIII.l). Most of them is of small size. They are frequently decorated by smoothed patterns. A specific variant is the so called storage vessel of northern type (e.g. PI. XX.3, LIII.2). The southern border of their territory of spread can be drawn somewhere in the line between Debrecen and Eger (IsTVÁNOviTS 1993.20-21). Vessels with spherical body Large variants of this type are very close in shape to the storage vessels. They were undoubtedly locally made (e.g. Pl. XXVIII.2, XXIX.1-2, XXX.

1, XLIV.2). The same may be the case with the pieces of smaller size. Mugs/pots A part of them also was locally produced (e.g. PI. XXX.2, XXXIII. 1-3, XXXIV. 1-2, XXXV. 1-2, XXXVI. 1-2, XXXVII. 1-3). They differ from the latter type in their material and technology. The majority of these handmade vessels tempered with chamot belongs to this form (e.g. PI. III. 1-2, XI. 1-6, XLVIII. 3-5), but a lot of wheel-made vessels of the Tiszavasvári settlement also belong to this shape (e.g. Pl. II.1-4, V.l-2, VI.

1-4, XII.1-2, XVII.1,3-6, XLIX.5, LI.4-6, LII. 1-3). They can be tempered with sand, sand and pebbles, pebbles, ground stone. There are pieces with more or less profiled rim. The material of some of them is very similar to that of the ceramics of the Árpád Age (e.g. Pl. XVI.7). The more characteristic ones among them are the pieces strongly tempered by small ground stone granules. They have elaborated, thin walls and represent the transition between Roman pottery and ceramics of Gepidian times (e.g. PI. XVII. 1). Jugs One and two handled jugs appear more rarely than the other types listed above. Two of them had a pouring spout (PI. XXXII. 1, L.2). Their material is slightly sandy, the technology of the earlier Sarmatian material of the Great Hungarian Plain is a little different. Recently the type was studied by Andrea Vaday who determined that we cannot consider it as an ethnic indicator. They are the stable chronological indicators of the late horizon of finds - the period after the last third of the 4th century (VADAY 1994.). The other characteristic, well datable shape of jug is the so called jug of Murga type (PI. 1.1, X.l-2, XVI.5, XXIV.2, XXV.3(?), XXXIX.5, XLVII.3, LII.5). Murga type is a very widely spread and popular term which, however, is not unambiguous. Commonly it is used for jugs profiled on their neck, where the handle starts from the so called "pillow" piece. If we examine vessels of this category, we can separate two big groups. The first one includes jugs developing from the local, earlier potter tradition of the territory and really have got the mentioned features. In the Great Hungarian Plain the technological characteristics of these pieces correspond to the general characteristics of Sarmatian pottery. In the territory of Pannónia these jugs made according to the new taste but similar to the earlier ones in technology are very likely to be produced by Roman craftsmen. Judging from this we would not be mistaken suggesting that these pieces were made on the spot. The local production can be proved e.g. in the case of Wien-Leopoldau where fragments of the Murga type vessels were found in a large number in the area of the kiln (FRIESINGER 1984.132, Abb.6.2^1, 7.1,3,5, 8.1). The other type of the Murga jugs is represented by pieces the material and decoration of which are both strange among the earlier finds: these are black, polished vessels with smoothed horizontal lines on their neck changing with wavy lines in mat stripes and smoothed horizontal wave at the shoulder and rim. These pieces come from a foreign territory. Such a vessel was found at the eponimic site of Murga (WOSINSKY 1896.994-995, CCL., HAMPEL 1896.). They appear much more rarely than the previous type and have not been collected and published up to now. The latter type is missing in the material of the Tiszavasvári settlement, we have found exclusively the sherds of "Sarmatian type Murga jugs", that is to say, all of them are gray and smoothed. Cups Cups with steep walls represent a special and rare ceramic form in the pottery of the Tiszavasvári settlement (PI. VIII.4-5, XIII.2). Their material is a little sandy, heavy, they are wheel-made. We can mention similar 179