K. Palágyi Sylvia szerk.: Balácai Közlemények 1997/5. (Veszprém, 1997)
CSIZMADIA, GÁBOR - NÉMETH, PÉTER GERGELY: Roman Barrows in County Somogy - Római kori halomsírok Somogy megyében
about recent destruction, so theis part was deliberately left out of the structure of the cemetery. The total number of barrows is 176, average diameter 8,6 m, height 40 cm. The largest mound measures 12,8 m in diameter and 1,2 m in height. Over 10 per cent of the cemetery suffered recent robbing. We have no knowledge of finds and the objects dug up by Gyula Melhárd did not get into the museum, either. East of the barrows, along the edge of the forest we collected some Roman ceramic fragments on a field survey but these do not make a more exact dating possible. Somewhat farther, in east direction, on a small area between a south-north stream and the railway there is scattered debris of a Roman building, which refer to the existence of a smaller villa. On a field survey we collected finds from the 2 nd-3d centuries. About 1200 m north of the territory a Roman brick grave was uncovered, the finds did not get into the museum, probably the grave was Late Roman. 7 Edde Six air kms north-east of the Somogyjád barrows we can find the Edde cemetery. This is situated in Csalánosi-forest near Alsóbogátpuszta, the territory of the village Edde. The cemetery is smaller than that of Somogyjád, there are 27 barrows altogether. The row of the mounds which are linked up in north-west - south-east direction is cut in two halves by a path, probably destroying a few graves. Most of the barrows lie in groups of two, the larger and smaller barrows are distributed uniformly in the cemetery area. There are larger ones in the south-eastern part, the largest one measures 1,90 m in height and 12,74 m in diameter. Average height to all the cemetery is 70 cm; diameter 9,60 m. In the northern part one barrow, whereas in the south-western side a small group of four joins the axis. We can observe a similar tendency at Edde as at Somogyjád: after forming the main axis the cemetery is extended in right angles with the earlier direction. At the same time at Edde the larger (and probably richer) barrows (disregarding the south-eastern part) are distributed more uniformly. Approx. 30-40 m west of the cemetery there is a bank ranging from south to west which later turns towards east. Its greatest width is 3,70 m, height 40 cm: we can suspect a smaller Roman road. A similar bank can be observed between Somogyjád and Osztopán, next to the present highway. West of the bank at Edde there is a south-north oriented stream, here is where we should search for the settlement belonging to the cemetery, but any observation is close to impossible owing to the forest undergrowth. Finds from the Edde barrows came to light in 1974. We do not know the exact location of the barrow or barrows destroyed by robbing. On the basis of the finds the burial can be dated to late 2nd, early 3d centuries. From around the village Edde there are only Late Roman finds recorded. From the Csalánosi-forest we only know a 4th century small bronze coin. From Alsóbogátpuszta a Valens coin and the fragments of a greenish glass beaker are known. Inside the village Edde there are traces of Late Roman settlement, and in an area close to the Edde barrows but officially already belonging to Somogyjád we have finds referring to a Late Roman cemetery. 8 On the course of our research we have measured four Roman cemeteries. We have accomplished the geodetical survey of 12 barrows in Mosdós, 68 in Somogyaszaló, 27 in Edde and 176 in Somogyjád. In several cases we could only state the destruction of certain cemeteries (Juta, Böhönye), here the Roman dating could only be done on the basis of indirect
