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.

ing obliquely away from the house. Since only a small portion of this depression lay in trench V., its specific character is uncertain. Most probably it did not belong to House 1. Near to trench V. in the direction where the other portions of this feature should be found, a wine cellar was built in the last century (at a distance of 80 cms). This cellar probably destroyed its remaining parts. The fill of House 1. under 140 cms was of an ashy, loose consistency and graybrown in colour. It contained many artifacts, especially near the southwestern edge. The 20 cm thick habitation level lying above the bottom of the house on the virgin soil was brownyellow with few artifacts although the southwestern side had more finds. The globular jar mentioned above (PL V,3), stood on this level. This level itself represented the living floor of the house with refuse, ash and mud from outside. No stamped or clay-lined floor was observed. Not a single piece of Notenkopf pottery was found in the levels under 140 cms or in the fill of the house. The artifacts from levels in trenches I., II. and V. were separated in the field into arbitrary levels of 20 cms. A clay figurine was found in the southwestern part of House 1. trench 1., at a distance of 40 — 50 cms from the edge of the house, and a depth of 160— 180 cms (Fig. 6)(

n

). At a distance of 60—70 cms from it, in trench V. at a depth of 180 cm was found another clay figurine (Fig. 7)(

u

). This last figurine was very poorly fired. Near to it were poorly fired fragments of larger vessels, which belong to two or three vessels. Their condition was too poor to allow reconstruction. Ten vessels were reconstructed from sherds found in House 1. 1971, while other vessel forms were reconstructed in drawings. Pit „a" trenches I-II. 1974 Pit „a" was found in that portion of the site, where the surface levels were destroyed by the construction work on the highway. Not only the uppermost 80 cm thick erosion level was removed, but also a lower 30-40 cm thick level reaching down to the virgin soil. The only part of this pit which was left untouched therefore was that portion cut into the virgin soil. Its deepest point was 125 cms as measured from the surface left by the construction works. It could have reached an estimated depth of 220-230 cms from the original surface before this surface was destroyed by the highway. Therefore pit „a" itself may have been a pit house similar to House 1. 1971., with its richest levels already destroyed. Pit „a" and the small pit „b" nearby might have been two of the deepest parts of the same house, which at this depth were isolated (13) J. MAKKAV, Eingeritzte und plastische Menschendarstetlungen der transdanubischen Linienbandkeramik. IDOLE. Prähistorische Keramiken aus Ungarn. Veröff. aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum, Wien, NF VII, 1972, p. 18, PI. 13; ID., O. C, IKMK, D/104, 1975, front cover, title-page and frontispiece. (14) J. MAKKAY, O. C, IKMK, D/104, 1975, fig. 5. from each other, since the upper connecting levels were destroyed. Since no finds were found in pit „b", its exact relation to pit „a" will never be known although the two fills were similar. As previously mentioned, only the central and deepest part of pit „a" could be excavated. The two diameters measured 3,5 by 3 meters. The first finds occurred at a depth of 40 cms. This uppermost level was composed of black earth brought in to produce a new agricultural soil after the construction works. The contours of the pit filled with brown loose soil, were very clear in the light yellow virgin soil. In the level between 40-80 cms there were few sherds and animal bones. Below 80 cms there was a hard brown soil, containing small sherds. Artifacts found in level 0-40 cm were kept separately and sorted later in the museum. Four large post-holes of the Sopot—

Bicske culture were dug into the pit in a north-south line. The post-holes were excavated separately, and the finds from each kept independently. Pit 1. in trench III. 1976 (Figs. 4-5) At the time of the 1974 excavations, we noticed a small territory lying between the vineyard road and the highway, northwest from the northwest end of trench III. 1974 and east from trenches I-II. 1974. There was a dense sherd scatter on the surface here. Trench III. 1976 was placed above this scatter. The highway cut had destroyed the upper level here also, but not to such an extent as in the case of pit „a" in trenches I-II. 1974. An Early Neolitic pit was found in the southwestern part of the trench and subsequently excavated. Its uppermost part had been destroyed by the highway work and therefore its original dimensions could not be determined. There was also no possibility to decide whether it was the remains of a pit house or the remains of a refuse pit. Since no intact vessels were found in its fill, it most probably was a refuse pit. On the other hand, although no fireplace or oven was found in or near the pit, the central part of its fill was composed of pure gray ash. The ash seems to have been brought into the pit when it was glowing hot since the sherds found in this ash show traces of secondary burning and vitrification with resulting deformations. The deepest part of the pit extended to 120 cms as measured from the modern surface. Two separate levels of hard brown soil covered the entire inner portions of the pit almost like a lining. These two bottom levels contained few artifacts. The inner ashy fill (level 3.) contained many sherds and a few animal bones. Some 25 percent of these artifacts show traces of secondary burning. Finds from the uppermost 20 cm level were separated in the field. The second level contained a few artifacts which were also separated in the field. Not a single piece of Notenkopf pottery was found in levels 3, 4 or 5. The artifacts published here are from these levels. 16