A Herman Ottó Múzeum évkönyve 53. (2014)

Régészet - Soós Eszter: Kr. u. 5. századi teleprészlet a Hernád mentén

Kr. u. 5. századi teleprészlet a Hernád mentén

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PARTS OF A 5™ C. AD SETTLEMENT BY THE HERNÁD RIVER, HUNGARY

Kej'words: Gepids, Germanic, post-structure building, burnished pottery, granular-ware pots, bone comb

The archaeological site of Onga-Teknő lapos is located in the northern part of the Sajó—Hernád Plain, at the feet of the West Cserhát mountain. The excavation was carried out when Road 37 was widened. The heavily weathered loess hill yielded 163, mosdy contemporary archaeological features with a small number of objects.

It was possible to observe the structure of this settlement part in spite of the small size of the excavation area. The semi-subterrean houses had different structures and were situated in pairs along a northwest-southeast axis, in a 50—60 m distance from each other. There were three such building clusters and two above-ground post-structure houses situated between them. One of these latter two had a more irregular structure and was 12 m long, the other building was supported by densely placed (sometimes in two rows) posts forming a layout of 7 x 8 m in size. The structure situated more to the west was probably associated with animal keeping based on the well in its proximity and the skull of a small ruminant found in a nearby pit. It was probably a sheepfold or a watering place.

Some aspects of this archaeological assemblage reflect strong influences from Late Imperial Roman and early Hunnic Period traditions, such as the burning technology and decoration of the wheel-thrown pottery, as well as the shapes of tableware, especially bowls. However, both the functional and technological character of the assemblage differ from other settlements dated to the Eggers C3-D1 Period. The scattered structure of the settlement, the circumstances of recovery, and the dominance of everyday-pottery (especially pots) connect the site to other Gépid settlement assemblages. The absence of certain forms, such as the biconical cup and the stamped decoration, suggests that the settlement was abandoned before the 6th c. AD.

The origin of the settlement’s inhabitants is impossible to establish on the basis of the available sources. Late Imperial Roman assemblages in the region are dated to no later than the end of the 4th c. AD, which corresponds to historical data. Only the Gepids are known to have excercised authority in the region from the second half of the 5th c. AD, however, the presence of other peoples in the North Hungarian Mountains cannot be exluded, either. The settlement pardy unearthed at Onga classifies neither as a typical Late Imperial Roman nor as a Gépid site. The northeastern part of the Carpathian Basin had a central role in the 5th c. AD, and the partial setdement excavated at Onga may contribute to a better understanding of this region. [Translated by Kyra Lyublyanovics]

Soós, Es^er