Folia archeologica 1-2.

Leszih Andor: Borsodmegyei szkíta leletek

86 LESZIH: SCYTHIAN FINDS FROM THE COUNTY OF BORSOD (PI. IV, fig. 18, length 20 cm), and a bronze ring (Pl. IV, fig. 19. diam 1-9 cm). One of the ends of the solid bronze hoop of the usual shape, is a flattened knob, and the hoop is covered with a gold plate. This plate is decorated on the exterior border with a thick rib, in the middle with three smaller ones and in the inside with vertical lines. This find is also preserved in the Museum of Miskolc. In 1934, between Miskolc and GörömbölyTapolca spa on the so-called Dudujka, which is a high natural formation of a round hill, while a ditch was being dug, a figure of the handle of a mirror with beautiful greenish patina was found, illustrating a hunting leopard, which is also in the Museum of Miskolc (Fig. 5, no. 2, height 4-4 cm, length 5-7 cm). It is somewhat smaller than the animal of the mirror from Kocsmadomb, mentioned above. Its mouth is not so open and the hole indicating the twining of the tail is not so strongly perceptible. The attitude of its legs resembles rather that of a specimen preserved in the collection of the college of Debrecen. The tether of the animal's snout is here also marked with an incised line. On this site we also made an experimental excavation, but did not find any object or trace pointing to a settlement or cemetery. From the surroundings of Miskolc derives that tanged bronze knife with large square holes on its tang (resembling a ladder) which is published by Ebert

9 and purchased in 1915 by the Hungarian National Museum as a find said to come from the surroundings of Miskolc. The so-called Csengő cave of Ördöggát near Szendre, where we excavated in 1933, was inhabited not only in the Diluvium but also in the Late Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages. In the upper layer we found numerous potsherds decorated with beautiful motives of the Bükk culture

; bronze socketed celt, spear-head; coloured and glass beads of the Late Iron Age; pierced Cypria snail; halfmoon shaped bronze pendant, etc. as well as an interesting bone object for keeping the reins together (Fig. 6), the latter already published by Dr. Nándor Fettich.

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0 On the three-forked, 9 cm long, harpoon shaped bone object the two exterior stems are barbed, and the end of the middle one is broken. On the polished exterior surface is an incised border, and it is decorated with triangular lines. On the reverse side the middle stem is vertically perforated as far as the end. In the cave occurred a small bronze object (length. 2-2 cm, width T6 cm), similar to the former as regards shape and structure. On its reverse side it has an identical perforation for drawing the rein through. The middle stem of this is quite broken. Among the finds were a bronze arrowhead of Scythian type with trhee blades (Pl. IV, fig. 16); a socketed iron arrow-head with three blades (PI. IV, fig. 17. length 2*9); a small solid bronze ring coated with gold plate, and with head of Scythian type with three blades (Pl. IV, fig. 25, diam. 3-1x3-3 cm). The one side of it is convex, the other concavely grooved and the top of it is flattened and pierced. This cave is so far into the mountains, in a scarcely approachable valley (it is called by the people on account of its rocks Ördöggát — barrier of the devil) that we can hardly suppose that the Scythian settled there. It is probable that as the caves of the Bükk mountains were inhabited during the whole of prehistoric times, so was also this cave, and as the finds can be considered only as adopted from the Scythians by the peoples of the Iron Age, thus the finds can only render data concerning the extent of the area of such antiquities. In the surroundings of the village of Meszes on the slope of Barakony István Thuránszky, land-owner, had urngraves excavated, in which Scythian axe-adzes and bracelets occurred. He deposited these objects in the Museum of Miskolc and gave us exact information about them. The urngraves were neither here deep, only 30—50 cm from the surface. There is no regularity in the placing of the graves. 1. A thin-walled, high-handled mug with everted rim (Pl. IV, fig. 31, height 5-5 cm). On it an iron axe-adze (Pl. IV, fig. 27, length 17-5 cm) with the one end globular and the other like an axe. There was also an iron knife (Pl. IV, fig. 28, length 13 cm). 2. A pouched, handled, small pot with wide mouth (Pl. IV, fig. 32, diam. at the mouth 9 cm) containing burnt bones. On it an axe-adze with globular end, similar to, but larger than the former (Pl. IV, fig. 20, length 18-5 cm). An iron knife (Pl. IV, fig. 24, length 18 cm). Two bronze pins, the one globular headed, broken in two with vertically incised zig-zag lines ornamentation (Pl. IV, fig. 23, length 16-5 cm), the other undecorated and incomplete (PL IV, fig. 22). A bronze wire was also in the grave (Pl. IV, fig. 21, length 8 cm). 3. A thin-walled handled clay vessel with sharply everted rim (height 6-5 cm, diam. at the mouth 6-5 cm). 4. A high handled small broad pot with everted rim (height 7-2 cm).