Kovács Tibor - Stanczik Ilona (szerk.): Bronze Age tell settlements of the Great Hungarian Plain I. (Inventaria Praehistorica Hungariae 1; Budapest, 1988)

Márta SZ. MÁTHÉ: Bronze Age tells in the Berettyó valley

site from the site called "Földvár" which in fact denotes the remains of the medieval Gáborjánmonostora (monastery), but which yielded Late Bronze Age sherds as well. Zoltai did not distinguish between the two sites; moreover, the Csapszékpart site was not mentioned earlier in archaeological publications, nor was it marked on the 74 maps. That a medieval village of the Árpádian Age lay in the area between Földvár and Csapszékpart is suggested by the clay cauldron fragments scattered over the area of the Csapszékpart site as well. Ida Bognár Kutzián lists Csapszékpart among the sites of the Tiszapolgár culture with reference to the surface surveys conducted by Kalicz and Makkay; surprisingly enough Makkay does not mention Bronze Age finds in his survey, either from Csapszékpart or Földvár. The latter is regarded as a site of the Baden culture.

75 As the central part of the tell settlement appeared to have been disturbed by recent pits we started our excavation with a square of 5x5 m north of it (trench I). It only contained a single Bronze Age layer with a few characteristic sherds of the Gyulavarsánd period. Only pits of Tiszapolgár culture were found underneath this layer. In order to uncover the full Bronze Age sequence trenches II and III were opened on the disturbed tell mound after all. The dimensions of the trenches were 4x4 m each and they covered a contiguous area. History of occupation The sounding revealed a sequence of five levels (Fig. 20). The lowermost level, level 5, was found at a depth of 1.28—1.40 m. It was in fact a living surface with scanty floor fragments, mixed earth and ashy patches. The only real floor of regular shape extended beyond the excavated area and was thus too small for the reconstruction of occupation patterns. This level only yielded a few non-diagnostic Early Bronze Age sherds. An isolated urn-grave was recovered from a depth of 1.8 m at the meeting point trenches II and III. It had been dug into the virgin soil in a period preceding the establishment of the settlement (PL 46:7). Typologically it is related to the Nyírség circle, whereas its fabric and execution finds its parallels in the cemetery from Piskolt (Pi|colt) that is contemporary with the Makó period. The cup found alongside the urn is too fragmentary to be assigned to either of the two periods.

76 Level 4 consisted of contiguous floor fragments found at different depths in trenches II and III. This habitation level was disturbed by various pits filled and unevenly levelled by later Bronze Age occupants, and thus its interpretation is rather problematic. Three postholes spaced at regular intervals were uncovered in trench III, but no structure can be associated with them. A 0.5 m deep irregular pit was located in the middle of trench II. Its fill contained burnt debris with daub fragments. Near the western side of the trench a fragmented hearth with broken rim was found. It was plastered onto a 0.9-0.10 m thick floor made of mixed clay that extended under the profile. Level 3 formed a sloping surface at a depth of 0.7 m to 1.13 m. The shapeless clay floor fragments are unsuitable for reconstructing any kind of house, whereas the plastering on the southern side of trench II and the fragments in trench III belonged to the same feature. The plastered circular hearth surrounded with ash and charcoal could have been associated with this assumed house. The stratigraphical position of the shallow, round ash pit is uncertain. It was deepened into the floor on the northern side and contained heavily burnt hearth fragments. The few postholes cannot be interpreted since no floor remains had been found in their. Level 2 also sloped towards the east between a depth of 0.53-0.58 m and 0.73-0.89 m. It was disturbed by pits and roots to such an extent that the actual structure could not be reconstructed. Only some traces of a fire-place and its ashpit survived in trench II and a clay floor in trench III. Three deep postholes were identified by the eastern profile, but their exact function remained unclear. Level 1 was found at a depth of 0.4—0.45 m and 0.55—0.75 m respectively in the two trenches, i.e. immediately after the removal of the upper humus and subhumus layers (Fig. 19). This uppermost layer yielded an abundance of pottery. Remains of two different houses were distinguished in this level. The first was indicated by a 0.15 m thick, poorly preserved clay floor whose edge also survived. Thin remains of wood were detected along the edge of the floor which can perhaps be interpreted as the remains of a timber frame. However, this interpretation is contradicted by a large-size posthole dug into a larger section of these timber remains with fragments of a portable fireplace on it. Thus a floor of wooden planks and a wattle-and-daub wall can be assumed. Traces of a plank floor were found under the destruction layer in trench III as well. The southeastern half of the L-shaped floor level was covered with burnt debris. After its removal a fragmented floor with ashy patches came to light. It extended to the northeastern profile. Remains of a disturbed fire-place were found beside the western profile. Material culture The lowermost layer (level 4) can be unambiguously assigned to the Nyírség culture (Pis 44—45). It represents a late phase of the culture. Kalicz regards this period as a transition towards the Otomani and Hatvan cultures.

77 His thesis is supported by the stratigraphical position and the organisation of the Csapszékpart settlement forming a tell-layer, in contrast to the scattered pits extending over a larger area in the case of other settlements. The pottery of level 4 yielded mostly Nyírség sherds. An incrusted fragment represents a jug-form reminiscent of the Schneckenberg-Glina III and Somogy-