Agria 41. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2005)

Domboróczki László: A háromszögletű AVK-fejek szimbolikája

sickle motifs (Tiszadob, Bükk, Szilmeg and Esztár) and southern (Szakáihát) "M" motifs , suggesting they are such regional as well as cultural differences that can be traced back to two main spiritual traditions.

55 If we look at the "M" motif face-pots in the same light as the analyses of the triangular heads above, one notices that despite their formal differences they consist substantially of an almost identical set of fertility symbols. One can see that in the southern group the upright elements of the "M" symbol denote legs of a female giving birth to a child while the remaining V-shape depicts the same triangle of the female sexual organs as can be seen in the triangular heads in the north.

56 Taking this observation as a starting point the chevron decoration one can see on the two sides of the triangular heads of the north also forms part of the "M" motif, denoting the pulled up legs. Therefore the two types of iconography, despite their slight differences in form probably express very similar messages, and despite the opinions of the authors quoted above, they should be considered evidence of the same cultural tradition, as do the other face-pots in Transdanubia and elsewhere in Central Europe. In fact, I. Pavlû came to similar conclusions when dealing with the "M"motif on face-pots as long as forty years ago. Apart from noting the similarities between the "M" motif and the nether regions of the female body, he also pointed out that this could all be traced back to the "birth of the bull" iconography found at Çatal Hüyük (Table L, ill 2.). In his opinion the face on the pots no longer depicted the ancient mother goddess, but rather the "boy" about to be born. In his view a "boy" bull cult superseded the mother goddess cult, and from that moment in Central Europe, and our region as well, it was only this that spread.

57 This view fits entirely with the conclusions we reached, albeit via a different route, by analysing the figurines. All the examples quoted above carry the symbolism of birth, like those naturalistic "birth-giving women" figurines lacking any schematism which are known from the beginning of the early Neolithic period in Greece and Anatolia. This kind of fertility symbol clearly has its roots in the south. This common southern tradition probably spread throughout the whole of Central Europe at the same time as the linear pottery. Those who spread it may well have been the peoples from the south migrating to the north and west. We think we can discount the possibility of a local tradition, for it is hardly likely that a local indigenous Mezolithic population that was just in the process of becoming a farming society would be capable of advancing their deeply engrained Neolithic symbolic system onto a higher level of abstraction at one fell swoop. 55 Pál RACZKY-Alexandra ANDERS 2003. 170. 56 The makers of the face-pots clearly wanted to imbue the contents of the vessels with abundance and fertility. 57 Ivan PAVLÛ 1966. 711-712. 29