Horváth Attila szerk.: Cumania 7. Archeologia (Bács-Kiskun Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei, Kecskemét, 1982)

Gajdócsi I.: Előszó

humus works. The publications did not simply contain the newest data gathered by the most improved techniques, but in addition to being a mirror of the county's internal achievements in social sciences, became some kind of a nationwide forum. At the same time local researchers were attached to the scientific network of the whole country, and the cooperation included not only joint publications but also better organized excavations, collecting and educational activities. Just one example to illustrate this cooperation. The Department of Archaeology of the Lóránd Eötvös University carried out excavations at Alpár (recently called Tiszaalpár) which is one the well known sites in the county. The excavations were run with the efficient assistance and significant financial support of the county museum. The many faceted evaluation of the settlement, artifacts, economy and hill-fortress of the Bronze Age population practicing land cultivation and animal husbandry which was the first to densely inhabit the area between the Danube and Tisza rivers, took almost the complete 7th volume in form of a monograph. The last paragraph of a foreword is usually expected to contain the arguments of a comprehensive recommendation. In our case this becomes extremely difficult because an almost ten years old enterprise is put on the scales in front of the social scientists, amateur readers and the public opinion of the whole country. At the same time one must refer to volumes within the framework of this introduction to which prefaces were written by Gyula Ortutay, Pál Romany and József Korek. Nevertheless the academic respect and international importance of the series must also be emphasized. In any case, CUMANIA has an attractive and fruitful past. Our county is colorful and ethnically complex. Its development is also characterized by catching up with the past. I am convinced that this county has plenty of unknown or undiscussed events in its history which can fill several more volumes which will be instructive in understanding our present or perhaps even future. Dr. István Gajdócsi 15