Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 4.-5. 1963-1964 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1965)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Bóna István: The Peoples of Southern Origin of the Early Bronze Age in Hungary I–II. IV–V, 1963–64. p. 17–63. t. I–XVII.

has begun the description of the graves with No. 1, causing much confusion in later research thereby. The graves uncovered in course of both excavations were described with the right numbering from 1 to 16 by J. Banner in his work on the problem of contracted burial in Hungary.

19 From, the previous two publications he selected the data regarding burial in the first place. A few years later he reviewed the finds of the cemetery among the Bronze Age cemeteries of the Maros region.

20 In the meantime, however, the ОЪеЪа finds have been inventoried in the Szeged Museum according to the numbers of graves given by í. Tömörkény (1—14), unheeding the published reports. Thus J. Banner's description characterizes the cemetery on the basis of such arbitrary, nay at several instances confused „grave units". His typological tables contain 7 actual Óbéba finds.

21 A few years later, however, it was J. Banner himself who carried through the revision of these mistakes. His study,

22 correcting the faulty publication of misunderstood material and the wrong dating by K. Miske, V Pârvan and J. Nestor, gives a careful and flawless description on the finds of the cemetery, numbering the graves as A

—

В and 1—14. V. G. Childe was the first to classify the cemetery as one of the Perjámos culture, though with strong reservations.

23 He emphasized its Mediterranean shell ornaments, the „stone ring," the „Cypriot" pins, the torques, the golden lock-rings and gold disks as Southern elements and impacts. Just as in the case of Pitvaros, J. Banner and later P. Patay and I. Foltiny agree in regarding the cemetery as one of the Szőreg type in the Perjámos culture. Accepting the southern origin suggested by V. G. Childe, D. Popescu follows the mentioned students in this respect.

24 Chronologically they are dating the cemetery to period I (Childe III), recognizing its Early Bronze Age character justly, P. Patay alone supposes its survival in period II (Tószeg В) too.

25 A correct assessment of the cultural situation of the Ôbéba cemetery has become possible, only by its comparison with the Pitvaros cemetery, so its objective difficulties are identical with those mentioned in connection with the latter. Grave A. Depth : 30 cm. Contracted skeleton lying on its left. Direction: N-S, the face was turned to E. Grave-furniture :

26 on the arms rolled bronze bracelets (Pl. VI/A nos 4—5, 7—8), one of them was straightened by the finder (PI. VI/A no. 6); on the breast between the ribs an oval gold plate (PI. VI/A no. 1), on both norrower ends 2 holes each, making its sewing to the attire possible. The border of the plate is decorated with a double line of punching, the narrower ends have triangular punched ornaments (vulvae) opposite to each other; length: 9 cm, width: 8 cm, weight: 21,3 gr. A pair of g о 1 d e n 1 о с к - г i n g s, made of a wire rolled several times; one of them was cut to pieces by the finder (PL VI/A nos 2—3), diam.: 1,8 cm. There was no vessel in the grave. Grave B. At a distance of 3 m from grave 1 (see below), at a depth of 25 cm another oval gold plate (PL VI/B no. 1. PL VII/C)

27 has come to light. The plate is much worn, its fastening holes were torn out several times and were renewed towards the middle, one end having 2 holes each. Its ornament is similar to that of the plate in grave A, with the difference that the opposite triangular punchings of the narrower ends are flanked by 1 or 2 smaller triangles respectively. Length: 7,8 cm, width: 6,1 cm, weight: 10 gr. The object comes from a grave devastated in course of work. Grave 1. Depth: 40 cm. Strongly contracted skeleton lying on its right. Its arms were drawn up before the body, the Ьапф lay at both sides of the skull. Direktion: S-N, the face was turned to E. Grave-furniture:

28 beside the heels a small-size cup or bowl (broken to pieces) ; around the neck and on the breast a necklac e, contanáng 7 shells Cardium and Pectunculus) and 90 Columbella snails (PL Vl/B nos. 2, 3, 5); in the middle of the necklace a perforated tusk was suspended (PL VI/B no. 4); a bone pin carved of the tibia of a bird (dacayed). Grave 2. Depth: 40 cm. Strongly contracted skeleton lying on its right. The hands crossed before the face. Direction: S-N, the face was turned to E. Grave-furniture:

20 cylindrical one-handled beaker (PL IX no. 1), height: 9 cm; behind the head at a distance of 1 m from the back of the head a bronze bracelet (PL VII/'A no. 8) with tapering ends (probably a stray piece from the bate Bronze Age)

; on the left wrist a bronze bracelet made of flat wire, two and a half times coiled (PL VII/'A no. 9); on the neck and the breast a necklac e, consisting of 5 shells (Cardium and Pectunculus), 18 Columbella snails (PL VII/A nos 7, 11) and 15 lentil-shaped 1 green fayence beads (PL VII/A no. 10); in the empty area between the arm and the breast there lay a pig's tusk (PL VII/A no. 5) with holes in both ends, length: 8,5 cm; 2 gold lockrings, allegedly fastened into the holes of the tusk (PL VII/A nos 1—2); behind the skull the fragment of a b one p i n (PL VII/A no. 4), length: 4,9 cm; beside it a bronze pin (PL VII/A no. 3), length: 4 cm; around the skull and mainly on 19 Dolg. 3 (1927) 22-23. 20 Dolg. 7 (1931) 25. 21 Ibid. Figs 18/a, 22 g/a, 31 vessels, 14 stone ball, 45 bronze pin, 65-67 gold objects. 22 Dolg. 13 (1937) 232-237. 23 V. G. CHILDE: The Danube in Prehistory (Oxford 1929) 218. 24 D. POPESCU: Die frühe und mittlere Bronzezeit in Siebenbürgen (Bukarest 1944) 71-72. 25 P. PATAY, op. cit. 47. 26 J. REIZNER: Arch. Ért. 24 (1904) Fig. IV. 27 Ibid. Fig. III. 28 Ibid. Fig. V. 29 Ibid. Fig. VI. 22