Astaloş, Ciprian (szerk.): Satu Mare. Studii şi comunicări. Seria arheologie 28/1. (2012)
Gergely Bóka: Changes int he Settlement History of the Late Bronze and Iron Age Körös Region Hydrology, Reliefs and Settlements
Gergely Bóka of the Gáva culture (12-9th centuries BC) (moisture indicator no.: 37.1). In contrast, the distributions of the Scythian Vekerzug (7-5th centuries) settlement locations present a completely different configuration: they moved from low plains up to those high floodplains that were more protected from floods. They populated terraces in the same distribution as the Gáva culture did, however, a drastic reduction - to less than half - in the number of the moisture indicator (17.6) and a decline in the amount of settlements taking place on alkali soils reflect to a settlement organization that looked for more secure reliefs (loess terraces, high floodplains, sandy surfaces) and such areas that were protected from surface waters and floods to greater degree than in the previous centuries. This tendency can be explained by a rainier and cooler climate and the increasing intensity of inundations. La-Téne people populated the distinct reliefs in a distribution similar to the Vekerzug Culture. Although, slighter distinctions of the ratios, the increase of moisture indicator number (21.7), as well as the repeatedly growing frequency of settlements on alkali soils reflect to more moderate and predictable fluvial activity, and the improvement of the climatic environment. 4. Connection between Hydrology and Settlements Based on the analysis of the chronological order of populations within a closer area, or region, we can conclude climatic transformations. The investigation of lacustrine and riparian sites (settlements) are particularly appropriate to that, since the distance of population from a shore refer mostly to changes of the water level26. The populations of human communities were determined fundamentally by the proximity to watercourses on the Great Hungarian Plain in the past millennia27. The hydrological reconstruction of the Holocene surface water system was based on topographical maps, the digitalized georeferenced maps of the Second Military Survey of the Habsburg Empire, the map pages of the First Military Survey of the Habsburg Empire, Gábor Hevenesi, and Mátyás Huszár, as well as on high resolution aerial photos. According to the reconstructed hydrological model of the Holocene Körös Region, the water system of the periods initial phase could have been remarkably stable, and thus had not undergone significant changes in the pre-regulation period (Fig. 2)28. We accomplished the analysis of the proximity of the Gáva, Scythian Vekerzug, and La-Téne cultures’ settlements to watercourses by means of comparing the settlement database they compose and the above introduced paleohydrological reconstruction (Fig. 5). It can be ascertained conclusively that the vast majority of the settlements of these three cultures located in the zone with the distance range from 50 to 500 m from prehistoric running waters. In areas lying in the distance of 25-50 m - in fact, on the shores -, settlements can be observed in meager distribution, similarly to more distant areas, which accommodated sites in a lot less distribution. The „main population zone”, ranging from 50 to 500 m, was inhabited by 76.6% of the Gáva Culture settlements, 60.4% of the Vekerzug settlements, and 67.3% of that of the La-Téne; whereas in the farther outer zones, this distribution is as follows: 18.5%, 34.8% and 28.3% (Fig. 5). We can assert, on the basis of the aforesaid, that people of the Gáva Culture would occupy the main population zone in the neighbourhood or rivers, whereas they used the outer zones scarcely. This ratio had transparently changed by the end of the Early Iron Age and the Middle Iron Age, as besides the main zones, the Scythian Vekerzug culture utilized the outer zones for dwelling purposes more frequently. The tendency transformed in the Late Iron Age again: in contrast to the Vekerzug period, people of La-Téne era moved closer to running waters, and used outer zones more rarely for residential purposes. With respect to the settlements’ proximity to watercourses, we assert that Bronze Age settlements fell close to running waters (low level of floods), whereas the end of the Early Iron Age and the Middle Iron Age can be characterized by a kind of „moving-away” trend of the habitations from watercourses (higher flood levels); and subsequently, the tendency of populations in the Late Iron Age 26 Horváth 2002. 27 Gyucha/ Duffy 2008. 28 Gyucha/ Duffy 2008. 26
