Garam Éva szerk.: Between East and West - History of the peoples living in hungarian lands (Guide to the Archaeological Exhibition of the Hungarian National Museum; Budapest, 2005)

HALL 2 - The Neolithic and the Copper Age (6000-2800 B.C.) (Nándor Kalicz, Pál Raczky)

20. Pig shaped clay vessel from Tiszacsege. Neolithic, 5500-5300 B.C. 21. Animal figurines from Pilismarót. Copper Age, 3600-3300 B.C. the buildings uncovered at BerettyóújfaluHerpály. The processing of cereal grains used for baking bread and for preparing other meals began with grinding. This was performed using large, loaf shaped quemstones and smaller grindstones. These implements occur not only during the Neolithic, but also during 33 the entire span of prehistory, up to the Late Iron Age, throughout Europe. The coarsely ground cereals were baked into flat breads in large, flat baking trays or were cooked into gruels. The invention and use of clay vessels meant that most communities ate cooked foods and that their diet was more varied. Evidence for cooking cereals comes from the burnt, charred food remains occasionally found inside pots. Flat topped and domed ovens and, occasionally, open rimmed hearths were used for baking. The areas used for grinding, kneading, cooking and baking have been best preserved in the houses uncovered at Berettyóújfalu-Herpály (Fig. 19), allowing an insight into how meals were prepared. The variety of Neolithic diet was ensured by domestic animals, hunting and fishing. Animal husbandry was at first based on goat