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 3-4 - The Bronze Age (2800-800 B.C.) (Ildikó Szathmári)

43. Ornamented disc pendants from Szarvaszó. 12th century B.C. the solid and hollow heart shaped hair-rings (Szelevény, Kölesd-Hangospuszta), which were sometimes decorated with finely engraved patterns (Fig. 41). Heart shaped pendants from sheet gold were also quite fashionable. Some of the designs used by the Transylvanian workshops, such as the interlocking spirals, were probably inspired by the art of the Mycenaean world. The ornamental discs from Ottlaka are decorated with an intricate pattern of spirals and human and animal figures. The splendid creations of the Bronze Age goldsmiths working in Transylvania and the Tisza region include the profusely ornamented gold bracelets from the later 2nd millennium B.C. The finest specimens among them are the bracelet from Dunavecse and the bull headed pieces inlaid with silver from Transylvania (Fig. 42). These were not part of everyday costume, but rather signalled the rank and power of their owners. Parallel to the mass production of bronze tools and weapons during the last centuries of the 2nd millennium B.C., goldwork too increased in the Tisza region. The hoards from this period contain the main gold articles crafted by goldsmiths: plain, unornamented bracelets and spiral terminalled pieces, boat shaped hair-rings and spiral rings (Derecske, Tarpa, Sárazsadány, Nyíracsád). In addition to plain gold rings the hoard from Bodrogkeresztúr also contained a spiral terminalled bracelet from sheet gold decorated with a geometric design. The gold hoard from Szarvaszó was made up of the unique creations of the Transylvanian goldsmiths. The spiral discs of sheet gold bearing an engraved geometric pattern were probably hair ornaments (Fig. 43).