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.

be found. Unfortunately features excavated in 1974 only contained material of the earliest Transdanubian LBP culture(

33

), and therefore exact chronological relations between the two different cultures were not expressed in either vertical or horizontal stratigraphies on the site itself. The critical question of whether the occupation of the site by people of the earliest Transdanubian LBP followed the Körös — Starcevo settlement immediately or only after a short temporal gap also remains unanswered. Beyond these two chronological questions we must reckon with the possibility, that the earliest Transdanubian LBP culture represents a direct transition from a remnant late Körös —Starcevo population in the area. This transition may have occurred in the southeastern portion of Transdanubia as well as Medina. Due to lack of supporting evidence the crucial question of the earliest Transdanubian LBP developments remains unanswered. We need to understand the mechanisms by which the Körös — Starcevo culture contributed to the development of the earliest Transdanubian Linear Band pottery material culture. One possible solution to this problem is that the Late Körös —Starcevo cultural sphere of influence extended into the territory occupied by the earliest Transdanubian pre-LBP peoples. These peoples had been previously unacquainted with pottery technology, but cultural contact between the two groups brought with it knowledge of the ceramic manufacture. It is only logical that the technologically less advanced group should initially also borrow forms, techniques and decorative motifs from the Körös — Starcevo people(

34

). The characteristic Körös —Starcevo material found at the site of Medina may of course have been produced by Körös —Starcevo people moving up from the southeast. This material might then be classified as pure Körös —Starcevo with local variations. On the other hand it seems also likely that the aboriginal population of southern Transdanubia as represented at the site were simply borrowing a technique learned during contact with the neighbouring Körös —Starcevo peoples. This latter hypothesis supposes however that temporal différencies exist between the time of initial contact and adoption of Körös —Starcevo techniques by contemporary Transdanubian Neolithic peoples and the appearance of similar but not identical ceramics in more northerly Transdanubian sites. Thus unmodified Körös —Starcevo pottery forms and decorative motifs may occur in a thin border area between the territories of the two groups. Medina surely belongs to such a border area. (33) ID., Medina — Margitsziget. RégFüz, XXVIII, J 975, p. 15.; ID., MittArchLnst, VI, 1976 (1978), 148, PL 66. (34) ID., О. С, Alba Regia, XII, 1971, (1972) p. 95; ID., о. с, Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei, II, 1975, p. 253, with further literature; J. PAVÚK, О. С, Actes Beograd, 1973, pp. 277—280. Knowledge of these techniques spread along unknown cultural pathways among the related aboriginal preneolithic peoples of Transdanubia naturally undergoing modifications along the way. These adaptations to local needs and decorative traditions soon resulted in the virtual disappearance of the originating Körös — Starcevo forms although a few such forms lingered for a short time in the pottery inventory of the Transdanubian ceramic craftsmen. By early Notenkopf times no specifiable traces of Körös — Starcevo ceramic forms remained. The early and rapid disappearance of Körös — Starcevo elements in early Transdanubian Linear Band Pottery forms can be explained in relation to two factors. The first of these factors is that the Transdanubian LBP people were totally isolated from southeastern Körös — Starcevo populations at an early point in their development. The second factor is that contacts between the Körös —Starcevo culture and the Transdanubian early aboriginal peoples took place at the end of the Körös — Starôevo cultural development, before the subsequent contraction of this culture during Protovinca and earliest Vinöa A times. Thus the Körös —Starcevo influence was of a relatively short duration in the Transdanubian area. The contraction of the Körös — Starcevo cultural sphere of influence may be attributed to internal reactions to invading groups of Alföld Linear pottery peoples, but inner processes and new influences coming from the Southeastern Balkans also played an important part(

35

). J. Pavúk points out as well that the development of the earliest Middle European (i. e. Transdanubian) LBP culture was concurrent with late Körös — Starôevo and earliest Vinca cultures(

36

). The earliest Bicske ceramic material also suggests such parallels between western Starcevo and earliest Vinöa ceramic forms. To reiterate, these forms include impressed ornaments, pattern burnishing? and stroke burnishing, as well as relatively tall flared pedestals similar to late Körös — Starcevo material (

37

). The characteristic Bicske carinated bowls have some parallels in late Körös — Starcevo times, but are found in much greater num(35) A southern invasion of the Alföld Linear pottery peoples at the end of the Körös-Starcevo development is best proved by the existence of earliest Alföld Linear pottery settlements on the invaded Körös-Starcevo territory north and South the Körös rivers. For example Gyoma, Co. Békés, site no. 107, and Szarvas, Co. Békés, Site no. 102. Excavations of the author in 1976 and 1978. Unpublished finds. (36) О. c, Actes Beograd 1973, p. 279. (37) S. DiMiTEUEVic, Das Problem der Gliederung der Starcevo-Ktdtur. Les débuts des civilisations agricoles en Voivodine et en Serbie Danubiennes. Actes X. Beograd, 1974, PL XVI, 9, PL ХХП, 1; A. BENAC, Obre I. A neolithic settlement of the StarcevoImpresso and Kakanj cultures at Raskrëce. WMBH, III/A, Archäologie, Í973, PL XXXI, 7—8, 11—12; M. VASIC, Preistoriska Vinca. Vol. IV, Beograd, 1936, PL II, 9 (9,4 m), Fig. 8, 111 (10,03 m). 30