A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 1948-1956 (Debrecen, 1957)
Makkay János: Őskori leletek a Berettyóvölgyben (Bihar megye)
Beginning with the Neolithic Age, a rich find-material is to be found representing the successive civilizations though the earliest Neolithic group, the Körös culture has, up till now, only four provenances in Bihar county. The culture of linear-streaked vessels, on the other hand, had been much wider spread and its finds occur mainly in tiny settlements by streamsides. Here too, the group was mixed with other Neolithic cultures where vessel painting had been known. A very fine specimen of it is a fragment of a plate which came to light at Berettyóújfalu. Stratigraphical observations however, did not give any evidence as to its chronological relation to the Körös culture. The typical finds of the Bükk culture, fragments of vessels with scratchedin decorations, are extant also in the Bihar county, not representing, however, an independent existence of a civilization but are affected by and mingled with the there groups. The Tisza culture, on the other hand, had reached, if scantily though probably independently, mainly the western part of the county. In the mean time, its finds are frequently mixed with the types of finds known as springing from the Herpály entrenchment in the vicinity of Berettyóújfalu. The ceramics of linear decoration and, partly, the relics of the Bükk culture are, on the other hand, generally mixed with the ceramics of painted black patterns (on red ground) found at Tócópart (in the vicinity of Debrecen) and in some other places of the Bihar district. This may be, in some degree, an indication to the chronological disparity between the two stocks of relics with painted patterns wide-spread in the district. It may be supposed, however, that the characteristic painted ceramics found at Tócóvölgy might have existed in the territory of the county independently and not only as depending on the linear ceramics or on the Bükk culture. The find stock of the Herpály group along the Berettyó river is especially richly represented and new finds were brought to light at several important excavations in the recent times. Several circumstances, a prudent choosing of spots for settlement in places projecting out of marshy territories and protected against water and flood, may give rise to the guessing that a striving for self-protection had been prevailed and even artificial fortification of greater settlements may be supposed. The Neolithic finds come mainly from settlements for very few burials of that age are indeed known in the county, and even those are dug in, in the then customary way, into the contemporary settlements. Finds of the Chalcolithic Tiszapolgár culture have come to light in a considerable amount during recent gathering work. There is a number of provenances doubtlessly indicating to the settlement of this group though settlements of this age have been until now scanty. It is noteworthy with this culture, as a characteristic feature contrary to the Herpály group which immediately preceded the Copper Ages, that there is no noticeable trace of striving for self-protection by way of prudent choosing of appropriate spots for settlement. Scanty finds and only a few provenances have come to light from the later periods of the Copper Ages, the Bodrogkeresztúr and Baden cultures. The only noteworthy moment is here, that the Baden culture had settled the upper flow of the Berettyó river though we have not possessed until now any data from that territory. Contrary to our hitherto knowledge, the early Bronze Age is also represented in the territory of our county in a form which does not seem homogeneous. In lack of excavations, however, nothing can be said about it for certain for the time being. The stock of the period of the Middle, i. e. Second Bronze Age must be extant along the Berettyó river and this Age may be represented, in some degree, by the early period of the Gyulavarsánd culture. This, however, in lack of excavations is at present unsufficiently known to us. The Gyulavarsánd culture which represents the third period of the Bronze Age s .i s known to us through finds brought to light in the course of several important, excavations and a great number of smaller scattered finds. The hitherto finds have come to us, on the other hand, exlusively from settlements and we have not succeeded in finding burials as yet. It is important to note here that the provenances of this civilization occur in groups along the Berettyó river and each of the separate groups is generally fortified. The fortification is, in some degree, an artificial one, but makes most of the natural protectedness of the settlement. It is noticeable that this civilization had a preference to occupy and fortify the 43
