Múzeumi Füzetek Csongrád 2. (Csongrád, 1999.)

HORVÁTH László András – H. SIMON Katalin: Csongrád város története (A kezdetektől a vaskor végéig)

same time an important innovation of the age was the appearance of copper in large quantities and the first use of gold. It was in the Middle Copper Age when the burial mound (kurgan) at Csongrád-Kettőshalom was erected. In all probability a warrior of an eastern pastoral population was buried here. This age was the last period of a long, peaceful world. Development that brought wealth to these people was stopped by an attack of a new group arriving from southeastern direction. The new culture differred from the one of the previous period almost in all aspects. Traditional inhumation burials had been replaced by cremations, practically all copper and gold objects disappeared, and the structure of the settlements changed too. All these features belong to the formation of the Late Copper Age a characteristic settlement of which was unearthed in Bokrospuszta in 1979. The closing period of the Copper Age was represented by the Baden culture. Its traces have been found at several places in Csongrád and its surroundings. From Felgyő-Várhát in the 1930s the museum got finds as presents from Mrs. Béla Kunczer. At this site Ervin Mérey Kádár and Júlia G. Szénászky conducted rescue excavations, in the course of which they unearthed garbage pits and fire-places. BRONZE AGE Today we still have a lot of problems connected with the transition period between the Copper Age and Bronze Age following it. However, we know definitely that at the most part of the Alföld the Early Bronze Age is represented by the so called Makó culture. We do not know all the components of this culture, but from the form and ornamentation of the objects we can conclude that it took part in the formation of the Vuőedol culture. Newcomers could be joined by the remaining part of the Baden culture people. Sites of the Makó culture can be found at several points of the town, e.g. at Saroktanya and Kettőshalom-Bárdos-tanya. In the next period associated with the Nagyrév culture, the tell as a type of settlement, that disappeared in the Great Hungarian Plain since the Late Neolithic, came into use again. The agricultural way of life of this population formed conditions for a long, peaceful development. Already during the life of the Nagyrév culture (around 1800 B.C.) large scale historical changes had begun that led to the new political situation in the Great Hungarian Plain. The new expansion represented by the Vatya culture spread in eastern direction and occupied the territory up to the western bank of Tisza. The Szöreg-Perjámos culture of Balkan origin reached the Tisza and mouth of Körös from the south, and the people of the Füzesabony culture arrived to this region from the east, so the area of Csongrád became the buffer zone of three big cultures. The region was most densely populated in the last (3

rd

) phase of the Vatya culture. In this period we know several sites with settlements and cemeteries: Vidresziget, Saroktanya, Felgyő, Bokros, Pitrik-halom. Peaceful development was stopped by new conquereres arriving from the west. It is evidenced also by the treasures hidden by the noble of the three mentioned cultures. The new power, the people of the Tumulus culture first occupied the southern part of the Alföld and spread to the Middle Alföld, namely to Csongrád only later. Native population was not exterminated, the new culture was formed with their participance. Barrow graves