Folia archeologica 41.

Vörös István: Kutyaáldozatok és kutyatemetkezések a középkori Magyarországon I.

DOG SACRIFICES AND BURIALS IN MEDIEVAL HUNGARY I. 1. Dog sacrifice in the Period of the Árpád Dynasty village at Fancsika In the inner part of the Árpád Period Fancsika village (Hajdú-Bihar county) five big ceramic vessels (Figs. 1 ,3. , 5., 7—8.) were found in 1969. Three of them contained (Figs. 2., 4., 6 ) dog-skulls, a single skull in each. From K. Mesterházy's report and description it is known that the vessels were dug separately from each other into a 50-60 em's depth and there were hearth-spots among the pits. Mesteházy determined the whole find assemblage as to be dog burials related to some cults and dated it for the 12—13th centuries.

5 Most probably the vessels were covered by lids made of some organic material which later had fallen into decay. This supposition seems to be confirmed also by the observation that there was no earth in the vessels. Dogs played a rather complex role in the pagan beliefs of Hungarians. The head (skull) which contains soul, represents not only the whole animal to sacrifice

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0 but it was also some kind of mediators. According to my opinion the dog heads found at Fancsika were the heads of those dogs which were sarcified (strangled) during some rites connected with kindling fire, within a sacred precinct. They were offerings in the role of mediators. It could not be mere chance that the sacrificial animals or body parts of them closed in the vessels were buried together these containers. It is possible that the vessels had also some protecting, preserving role (e. g. to maintain and preserve the soul ?). On dog skulls buried in vessels similarly to the finds of Fancsika we can read interesting data in Kolozsvár sources from 1574.

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2 2. The occurring Canida (dogs and wolves

) remains from the Period of the Hungarian Conquest and the Árpád Dymasty From the terriroty of present day Hungary I was able to collect so far the Canida (dog and wolf) remains found in 18 cemeteries and from 15 settlements (Fig. 9). Except the Bodrogszerdahely amulet I haven't found either from Slovakia

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7 or from the relatively well known regio of the Vojvodina

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8 dog remains which could be the objects of my studies. Moreover, apart from the written documents from 1574 I have no knowledge of other data in Transylvania, either. The frequency of dog and wolf remains in non-profane context seems to be depending on archeological excavations. The data available for me show the following distribution: Canida remains occur most frequently in S — SE Hungary (at 11 sites), in the NE part of Hungary, in the SE part of the present Baranya county and in the neighbourhood of Esztergom—Visegrád (3-3 sites are known from the latter mentioned areas) (Fig. 9.). The occurrence of the remains of dogs as building and oath sacrifice at