A Nyíregyházi Jósa András Múzeum évkönyve 43. (Nyíregyháza, 2001)

Régészet - János Németi–János Dani: Soem Early Bronze Age graves from the Érmellék (Romania) and Nyírség (Hungary). Some data on the Early Bronze Age of Northeast Hungary and Northwest Romania

Néhány kora bronzkori sír az Érmeilékről (Románia) és a Nyírségből (Magyarország) Some Early Bronze Age graves from the Érmellék (Romania) and Nyírség (Hungary) Some data on the Early Bronze Age of Northeast Hungary and Northwest Romania In the following study we present four new graves (one found earlier, but unpublished and three recently excavated) from the Early Bronze Age. Two of them were found at the Érmellék (Romania): Carei-Bobald/Nagykároly-'Bobádidomb"2S\á.Andrid/Erendréd-Dinde§ti/ Érdengeleg, and two at the territory of Nyírség (Hungary): Kállósemjén-Forrástanya and DebrecenKöntöskert (Bezerédj u. 30.). Except for the, in all probability, urn grave site between Andrid - Dinde§ti which cannot be determined more accurately, the remaining three assemblages were found or recorded by archaeologists. Most probably all of them were cremation urn graves, but in the case of the Kállósemjén find we cannot exclude the possibility of symbolic burial. Grave(s) from Debrecen-Köntöskert belong to the Makó Culture and can be dated to phase I of the Early Bronze Age. Graves found at Kállósemjén-Forrástanya and between Andrid - Dinde§ti are the representatives of the Nyírség Culture dated to phase II of the Early Bronze Age. Urn grave excavated at the site of Carei-Bobald in 1997 was found at the bottom of a Bronze Age tell dug into the ancient humus and natural yellow clay. Judging from the stratigraphy and shape of the grave, the excavator considers it to be contemporary to the lowest, Szaniszlo/Sanisläu layer of the tell, that is to say, dates it to phase III of the Early Bronze Age. Typological analyses of the vessels and stratigraphic position of the grave does not exclude also the dating to the time of the Makó Culture. Analyses of the urn graves published here led to important chronological and typological conclusions and evoked new questions: a, On the basis of the examination of different ways of decoration applied on the vessels of the Early Bronze Age - "brushing" (Besenstrich) and "combing" (Kammstrich) technique - we can definitely state that the "style" of decoration has no cultural or chronological significance. b, Another characteristic way of processing the surface of the rough pottery is the covering of the surface with the so called Schlickwurf coat. Though earlier we considered this kind of surface to be the characteristic of the Makó Culture, judging from the evidence of the recent finds, this technique, similarly to the brushed decoration, was used all the time during Early Bronze Age. c, Ceramics decorated with so called textile imprint. (Textilmuster or "Mattenabdrücke bzw. Wabenzier"). According to our present knowledge it appeared en masse at the end of the Early Bronze Age (phase Illb) in the region in question in the find material of the Hatvan Culture. Almost in the same period it appeared inside Transylvania (Iernut type) and also south of the Carpathians (Gornea-Orle§ti Group). According to this we can suggest its appearance as a horizon character. This decoration technique had been applied already by Jevisovice Culture, however, we do not have certain data whether the textile decoration had appeared before the time of the Hatvan Culture in the NE region of the Carpathian Basin.