Alba Regia. Annales Musei Stephani Regis. – Alba Regia. Az István Király Múzeum Évkönyve. 16. 1975 – Szent István Király Múzeum közleményei: C sorozat (1978)

Tanulmányok – Abhandlungen - Makkay János: Excavations at Bicske. I, 1960. The Early Neolithic – The Earliest Linear Band Ceramic. p. 9–60.

I —

П. 1974 was a refuse pit from Early Neolithic times, the upper part of which was destroyed in the 1959 construction work. Trench III. 1974 was a long trial trench. Pits „b" and „c" from this trench contained mixed material from Late Notenkopf and Sopot — Bicske Cultures. Pit „a" from trench III. 1974 turned out to be the remains of a fortification ditch, from either the latest Notenkopf phase or early Sopot — Bicske times. It seems most probable however, that this fortification ditch comes from early Sopot — Bicske times, because of the position of the possible late Sopot — Bicske house which lies on top of the earlier fill levels found in the ditch. One end of the fortification ditch was found in trench IV. 1974. It seems probable, that this area marks the entrance way through the fortification ditch, since a number of parallel narrow channels running perpendicularly through the free place between the two ends of the ditches are, most likely, the remains of wagon wheel tracks. Grave 1. 1974 containing rich finds from the Sopot—

Bicske Culture was found at the southwestern end of trench III. 1974(

9

). Pits „a" and „b" from trench V. 1974 contained finds from the Notenkopf culture. Post holes from long houses from Sopot — Bicske times were found in trenches III. and VI. 1974. Trench VIII. 1974 contained finds from both the Sopot —

Bicske Culture and from the partially excavated pit „a" finds from the early Notenkopf period. The other end of the fortification ditch appears to occur in the area of trench VII. 1974. Although we can not say with absolute certainty that this is the end of the same ditch, the fact that our ditch falls in the same line as the long ash filled ditch uncovered by Marosi tends to support our tentative conclusion. (The original Marosi ditch is marked on the general map with dotted lines.) The Sopot —

Bicske fill of the probable fortification ditch of trench VII. 1974 contained one incised and painted sherd from the early Tisza culture (

10

). After a break of one year, excavations were resumed in 1976, from 2 August to 27 August. This time the work was concentrated in the area of trenches I. and II., southwest from the trenches excavated in 1971 and 1972, on land parcels 6814 and 6815(

n

). These two trenches contained parts of long houses of the Notenkopf culture, characterized by lines of post holes, wall trenches and refuse pits containing a rich material (especially pit 1. in trench II. 1976). These two trenches also contained refuse pits (pits 2. and 3. in trench II. 1976) and fireplaces of the Sopot —

Bicske culture. Pit 1. was found in trench III. 1976 not far from the northwestern end of trench III. 1974. This pit contained early Linear Band pottery finds, which are markedly similar and (9) J. MAKKAY, o. c, IKMK, D/104, 1975. (10) Ibid., fig. 29. (11) Land parcels in property of P. Horváth and L. Horeczky. therefore contemporary with the finds of pit house 1. 1971-1972. Trench IV. 1976 verified the original position of trenches 2., 2 a. and 2 b. of the old 1965 excavations and concluded the excavation of the pit which had been found there. This pit contained material from earliest Notenkopf times (see the general map). * * * The finds of these eight excavations can be summarized as follows: 1. finds from the earliest Transdanubian Neolithic which was earlier than the earliest Notenkopf Pottery (pit house 1. 1971-1972, pit 1. in trench III. 1976); 2. finds from the earliest phase of the Notenkopf pottery culture (pit „a" in trenches I —II. 1974); 3. finds probably from the early phase of the Notenkopf pottery culture, lacking Zseliz types (pit G in trench IV. 1972 and pit 1. in trench II. 1976). The final resolution of this dating problem will only be resolved however by further research on the excavated material. 4. Stray finds from the late Notenkopf — early Zseliz times. These sherds belong either to an as yet undiscovered cultural level at the site, or to the earliest Sopot—

Bicske period. 5. Stray finds of Zseliz pottery, which may belong to a separate early Zseliz phase appearing later than the late Notenkopf pottery finds on the site (as at the site Neszmély —Tekerespatak), or else contemporary with the earliest Sopot—

Bicske material. 6. Finds of the Sopot —

Bicske culture. These finds fall into two separate chronological periods, both of which were contemporary with the Tisza culture. * * * This article represents the first part of the final report on the eight excavations at Bicske. This first part will cover the finds from the earliest Transdanubian Neolithic material from the site, and specifically the earliest developing phase of the Transdanubian (Middle European) Linear Band Ceramic culture. We will use the material from three features: pit house 1. 1971-1972, pit 1. from trench III. 1974 and finally pit „a" in trenches I — II. 1974. We supplemented the finds from these features with other materials from the oldest excavations. This section will be followed by a section on the Notenkopf phase at the site also written by myself. The Sopot —

Bicske culture material will be published later by Magda M. Tulok and P. Árkus. The chipped stone material and the results of a water sieving in 1974 will be published by John Chapman, the human bones will be studied by Zs. Zoffmann. Each study will be contained in separate chapters. (12) Curiously enough, in the century-long research on Linear Band potteries this Symposion was the first and only international one, as J. Lüning pointer! out: Germania LUI, 1975, p. 184. II