Janus Pannonius Múzeum Évkönyve 26 (1981) (Pécs, 1982)

Régészet - Maráz Borbála: A szkítakori őslakosság La Tene-kori továbbélése Kelet-Magyarországon (Régészeti adatok a Kárpát-medencei kelta–szkíta kapcsolatok kérdéséhez)

110 MARÄZ BORBÄLA On the survival of the autochtonous population of the Scythian Age in Eastern Hungary (Archaeological data to the question of the Scythian — — Celtic connections in the Carpathian Basin) BORBÁLA MARÁZ One of the first tasks of the prehistoric archaeology is the interpretation of the cultural change including its historical background, its circumstances and its significance. Seeking to provide a reconstruction of history one is often carried along on the path of the speculation without a sound basis of archaeological evidence especially when qualifying the connections of the intruders with the autochtonous populations and searching the traces of the surviving culture belonging to the subjugated population. Nevertheless, the question of continuity must be regarded as extremely ismportant especially if the features proving the connections can be documented. The present article intends to survey the transformation of the culture of the autochtonous population during the period of the Celtic occupation. Our starting point is that the archaeological records relating to the Scythian and LaTène periods are significant enough to serve as a basis for a work-hypothesis concerning the survival of the Early Iron Age population after the intrusion of the Celtic tribes. It goes without saying that we cannot accept any theory suggesting that the autochtonous population had been extirpated by the Celts. Such events are highly improbable the several written sources describing the cruel tribal wars in the Late Iron Age notwithstanding. Strabon's information about the extinction of the Boii reporting that the Dacians desolated the whole territory of the tribe should be considered only as exaggeration (Geogr. V. 1. 6., C. 212-213). The survival of the Boii is demonstrated by the fact that the Roman occupants found flourishing Late LaTène oppida on the area between the Drava and Sava rivers i. e. on the territory which Strabon describes as uninhabited. Similarly, numerous finds of Early Iron Age origin have been found in LaTène context in Eastern Hungary clearly indicating the survival of the autochtonous population.

1-2 We can only study the Celtic occupation in Eastern Hungary when we are able to date the intrusion which put an end to the independence of the indigenous population. It seems reasonable to define the period of the occupation judging from the relative chronology of the La Tène finds as the internal chronology of the Late Iron Age is more elaborated than that of the Scythian period. Our task is to pinpoint the LaTène finds which are significant concerning the beginning of the Celtic occupation. The publications dealing with the Scythian Age have discussed this problem for the most part shortly and in general terms, as it is possible on the basis of Ilona Hunyady's work published 40 years ago and of J. Filip's chronological system (constructed following entirely Ilona Hunyady's results as far as the territory of Eastern Hungary is concerned). According to these works there was not any stabilized Celtic occupation on the Hungarian Plain and in Transylvania earlier than the second half of the third century В. С i. e. an occupation as early as the beginning of the LT С has not been supposed. Although an early intrusion has been suggested judging from the sporadic finds from Gyoma, it has been thought historically insignificant because of the generally adopted view about the massive Scythian occupation able to resist any Celtic attack.

3 The excavations of the recent past resulted in the alteration of the traditional relative chronology. Judging from the LaTène finds from Eastern Hungary we can reconstruct the Celtic occupation as follows: The earliest cemeteries in Eastern Hungary contain the following types often in associations in single graves : tores with conic buffer terminals or with disc-shaped elements, anklets with 6—10 hollow bumps,- solid bracelets with continuous relief decoration; solid cast bracelets with hollow bumps; Sprofiled bowls; variants of the early Dux-fibulae, Münsingen fibulae; leech-bow brooches and globeelement brooches (in some cases with two elements) with a continous relief decoration on the foot; — these types are often decorated with the triskeles-, lyra-, and S-motif or foliation. Not only the analogies of the types but those of their associations can be found in the LT B

2 cemeteries belonging to the Waldalgesheim — circle in Northern Switzerland, on the Rhine and on the Swabian-Bavarian territories. Judging from this fact the earliest Celtic finds in Eastern Hungary belong to the LT В period i. e. the second half of the fourth century В. С The Celts arrived on the Hungarian Plain together or paralelly with the campaign mentioned in Strabon's and Arrianos' works (an embassy from the Adria Celts was sent to Alexander in 335 В. C). Pannónia, the Slovakian Danube-area and