Nagy Emese Gyöngyvér - Dani János - Hajdú Zsigmond szerk.: MÓMOSZ II. (Debrecen, 2004)

Csengeri Piroska: Adatok a Cserehát őskori településtörténetéhez

PIROSKA CSENGERI DATA TO THE PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENTS OF THE CSEREHÁT The first part of this paper focuses on natural conditions of the Cserehát (a hill region of the NorthHungarian Mountains), the state of archaeological research in this territory, its known prehistoric sites, and the distribution of these ones according to archaeological periods. The second part gives an account of the results of investigations at a prehistoric site, FelsővadászVárdomb (Western-Cserehát, Pl. 1.). The excavations made by J. Koós and F. Losits from 1982 to 1984. Parts of prehistoric settlements were revealed here from the Neolithic period (Bükk Culture), the Copper Age (Hunyadihalom Group and Baden Culture) and the Bronze Age (Hatvan and Füzesabony Cultures; Koós 1986a). The author of this paper made her thesis on the analysis of archaeological finds and settlement remains of the Bükk Culture from Felsővadász. Unfortunately, very few features of the Neolithic settlement could be observed - 7 pits, 3 postholes, remains of a (house?) floor and a double burial (the last cf. Pl. 2-3., and K. Zoffmann 2000). Because of that the size and structure of this settlement could not be established. The most important finds are the ceramics from Felsővadász, more than 10 000 pieces, 90% of which have not been derived from any settlement features (PI. 4-17.). All the elaboration and the forms of the ceramics, the fine incised decorations (densely placed bundle of lines), the motives of ornamentation, the large number of white-incrustated pieces and the application of red- and yellow-coloured inlay uniformly dates the find material to the end of the classical and the late phase of the Bükk Culture - the end of Bükk B and Bükk C according to J. Lichardus ' chronological system (Lichardus 1974, 84-93). Some sherds with incised decoration have been made according to the tradition of the pottery of the ALPC in this material (PI. 19., 6-7; PI. 20., 19). On the basis of the fragments of imported or imitated vessels (PI. 19, 1—4) the contacts of the inhabitants with the population of the Szakáihát Culture are provable. The contacts with the Zseliz Culture are also provable, based on a stone raw material, the greenschist. It could be said that its significant quantity, high quality of its decorations and its contact-marker role gives the importance of the ceramics of the Bükk Culture from Felsővadász. This find material has not given an explanation for the reasons of the destruction of the Bükk Culture and for the subsequent life of its people. To give an answer to these questions it is necessary to look for new archaeological sites in the Cserehát or in other less-investigated parts of the North-Hungarian Mountains. CSENGERI PIROSKA HERMAN OTTÓ MÚZEUM 3529 MISKOLC GÖRGEY ARTÚR U. 28.