A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 1997-1998 (Debrecen, 1999)

Utak a múltba - Kivonat az M3 autópálya nyomvonalán feltárt régészeti leletek kiállítási katalógusából

István Fodor HAJDÚDOROG-CSÁRDADOMB SARMATIAN BURIALS FROM THE A.D. 2

ND-3

RD CENTURY The relics of three archaeological periods were identified on an east-west running range of hills on the outskirts of Hajdúdorog, lying some 500 m from the one-time Sarmatian limes (the Csörsz Ditch): two cremation burials from the La Téne C period, twenty-one Sarmatian burials and the houses, economic buildings and ditches of an early, 9th-10th century Hungarian settlement. Six burials of the Sarmatian cemetery lying on the southern slope of the hill were each encircled by a ditch with a diameter of 8-10 m. Only a small section of a seventh ditch fell within the excavated area. The depth of the ditches, measured from the modern surface, was 90-100 cm, their width ranged between 40-100 cm. A mound was originally raised above the burials, with the earth mined from these ditches. A 35-108 cm wide "entrance" was noted on the southern side of the ditches. The north-south oriented, 100-150 cm deep grave pits (measuring 234-337 cm by 84192 cm) usually lay in the center of the area enclosed by the ditches. All but one of the six burials had been robbed in antiquity. The looted graves had apparently contained lavish grave goods, a fact suggested by remains of green patina on the skeletal bones. The deceased were laid to rest with their skull oriented to the south. These burial mounds preserve the Sarmatians' ancient burial customs, known from cemeteries excavated in the eastern steppe. The southern orientation of the burials, the "entrances" on the southern side of the circular ditches can be associated with the cult of the South practiced by Iranian nomadic peoples. Pottery fragments and animal bones were recovered from the northern sections of the ditches, the remains of sacrifices offered following the burial. The vessels used during the funerary feast were broken and thrown into the ditch of the burial mound together with the bones. An unusual feature was noted in the northern section of ditch 18: a man, his head oriented to the north, was buried here at some later date. The narrow grave pit was hardly deeper than the ditch. The deceased was wrapped in a textile shroud. It seems likely that he was a slave of the high-ranking person buried under the mound, who, according to the community's belief, should continue to serve his master even in the afterworld. No burial mounds were erected over the other fifteen graves which lay north of the graves with burial mounds, towards the top of the elevation. The burial rite was identical to the one noted in the case of the burial mounds: the deceased were laid to rest with their head oriented to the south, and with the exception of two graves, all had been robbed in antiquity. In spite of the looting, it could be established that the high-ranking members of the community were buried under the burial mounds, while commoners were buried in simple graves. Only two child burials were found, suggesting that children were perhaps buried in a separate part of the cemetery. 186