Szilasi Ágota, H. (szerk.): Annales Musei Agriensis. Agria LII. (Eger, 2019)
Magyar Zsolt: Hatvan-Baj-puszt II. szarmata telep próbafeltárása
Zsolt Magyar HATVAN-BAJ-PUSZTAII SARMATIAN SETTLEMENT TEST EXCAVATION The Hatvan-Baj-puszta II site is located approx. 1 km north of the town of Hatvan, west of the river Zagyva, on fiatland. It is bordered by a dried-up riverbed on the south and the floodplain of the river Zagyva on the north (Picture 1 ). We carried out a test excavation on the site between 6 October 2015 and 12 November 2015, during which we found 17 archaeological features in total. Most of them included artefacts, mostly pottery, from the Sarmatian Period. These features were typical beehive-shaped storage pits, refuse pits, trenches and ditches (Pictures 2-6). Apart from the pottery the pits also contained pieces of daub, suggesting the probable existence of nearby buildings. The pottery finds included mostly grey jars, urns, Drag. 37 shape bowls, hand-formed, slow-wheeled, wheel-thrown pots and cover bowls (Picture 7). Apart from the usual wheel-thrown and hand-formed grey pottery, provincial goods were also found. The animal bone finds included the remains of cattle, goats/sheep, domestic pigs and dogs. Features datable to the Sarmatian period contained finds from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. These finds drew two different horizons: the first being the 2nd century, while the other horizon predominantly contained finds from the 3rd century. Our settlement was not the only one in the area, because several other Sarmatian sites are also known from nearby, suggesting typical organization of Sarmatian settlements, i.e. settlements are located on riverbanks or on higher ground along rivers (Picture 10 a). The presence of provincial goods in a ratio over 10 per cent suggests a booming trade with the province, thanks to the vicinity of the Aquincum-Porolissum road. 160
