Folia archeologica 21.

Kovács Tibor: A hajdúbagosi bronzkori temető

BRONZE AGE CEMETERY AT HAJDÚBAGOS In 1

909 characteristic finds of the Late Bronze Age of Hungary were unearthed by Lajos Zoltai at Daraboshegy in the vicinity of Hajdúbagos. He explored about 900 square metres of the extensive urn cemetery where he found 18 urn graves. His notices in manuscript, his drawings and the map of the cemetery (Fig. 5) enable us to publish, in an authentic manner, the graves,

13 whose number was increased by four other ones, found in 1937.

4 Some of the notes of general character concerning the burial rites should be emphasized. The mouths of the urns were 30 to 40 cms under the surface. The majority of the vessels is poorly refined, badly fired, of a brownish colour. In every case the bowls were placed on the urns with their mouths upwards. In some cases the one-handled mugs were placed in the urns but more frequently near to them. Where Zoltai mentioned ashes, he always found the bones in the urns. The bronze objects came to light mixed with the ashes.

5 Following the short reports of Lajos Zoltai, it was only in the fifties when research evaluated this urn cemetery, emphasizing its connection at first with the Füzesabony culture, then with the Piliny culture.

9 The revision of these hypotheses, i. e. the evaluation of the Hajdúbagos finds from new points of view was the work of Tibor Kemenczei.

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0 Considering the finds similar to the material of the Hajdúbagos cemetery (cf. appendix) we use in the following the term "Hajdúbagos group". This serves at present more as a working concept in our research than the name of a certain group of people in a given culture. The central area of the Hajdúbagos group extends from the southern part of the Hajdúság to the Berettyó region (Fig. 6). This area was held in the Middle Bronze Age by the Ottomány culture which was evaluated in certain aspects by the archaeologists differently.

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0 It seems to be beyond doubt that graves 13 (Fig. 2, nos. 20-22) and 19 (Fig. 4, nos. 1-2) are among the earliest burials of the cemetery. Both of them contain a dagger with four rivets on its trapeze-shaped tang dated by hoards of Koszider type and by the earliest tumulus finds.

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4 It is significant that both of the urns found in these graves and the vessels of the middle period of the Ottomány culture are decorated with big, impressed dots (cf. Fig. 4, no. 8). Judging by its metal objects grave 10 seems to be also an early one (Fig. 3, nos. 1-10). The ribbed disc pendant with a long spine, the ring terminating in spirals and the seal-ended bracelet are well-known objects both from the Koszider type hoards and the early burials of the tumulus culture.

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7 These metal objects date very well the lock-ring consisting of three boat-shaped parts found in this grave.

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3 Graves 2, 7 and 21 (Fig. I, nos 3-22; Fig. 2, nos. 13-17; Fig. 4, nos. 5-6) are definitely later than those mentioned above. The barbed, socketed arrowhead, the seal-headed pin