Benedek Csaba – H. Bathó Edit – Gulyás Katalin – Horváth László – Kaposvári Gyöngyi szerk.: Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 14. (2004)

Szelevény-Sweiger-Homestead

JÁNOS CSEH SZELEVENY-SWEIGER-HOMESTEAD A Gépid Settlement of the 6th century in the Tiszazug A small elevation resembling islet or peninsula is to be climbed or rising in the land at southern resp. south-eastern corner of the Tiszazug, more than eight kms from the confluence of the „blond" Tisza and the Hármas (Triplicate)-Körös rivers. The present village, to which it appertains, Szelevény (Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county, district of Kunszentmárton) is situated from here towards the north-east 1,5-2 kms distance, whence one can comfortably get out on a concrete road running on embankment-dam to the aforesaid place. During the archaeological unearthing work performed in months of May-June 1986 and also in May of the year 1987, consequently by two campaigns, we succeeded to locate thirteen settlements-features in all, by twelwe probing trenches or sections — that is to say: in addition to an undated pit two prehistoric (Copper or Bronze Age) ones, a Celtic house and nine archaeological features of the Early Marovingian Epoch (three houses, two pits, an open-air oven, an outdoor fireplace? as well as a potter,s kiln). The settlement-objects dated from the Early Migration Period took a position at the sunflooded southerly quarter of the mentioned washlanded insula/peninsula, with main point in a south-western section. (There had in its own age been fallen to the eastern part the vessel-burning kiln, while remainder features to the westerly one.) All of these were occupying a surface of about 25x20 m size. At the same time: the observations made in the course of gatherings on the surface — carried on the site several times —, make (it) possible to draw a larger terrain than this. Whether there are still being in hiding Gepid features under the ground, a matter belonging already into the row of guesses. We must state as fact that it is said of a small-sized settlement, very tiny „village", a place which may be called rather abode-group (hamlet, Weiler), but principally farm only, grange-like one (Hof resp. Gehöft). Settlements of the 5th-6th centuries more or less like this, by accident larger ones — about four-six of this kind — are indicating in the neighbourhood a so-called Siedlungskammer (settlement-chamber word for word in English), in that the archaeological complex coming to publication now is merely an extreme chain-loop, an anulus. The little settlement-place can, apparently with tenfifteen souls and hardly more, be ascribed to a period of forty-fifty years, so one and (a) half generation within the 6th century. The houses (sunken-floored, quadrangular huts with few or without post-holes and in measures roughly 3x3 m as usual) are situated suggesting contemporaneousness or nearly contemporaneousness, from one another at adequate-sufficient distance, some metres and in same west-eastern position. The archaeological material (pottery being specifically local by a potter, s kiln in three manner: fine polished, granulous combed ceramics having made on potter,s wheel — pots, jugs, bowls, pitchers, lids —, further hand-formed ones; iron things, spindle- and loom-weigths, millstones, whetstones etc.) is uniform, „homogeneous", it sheds light on a certain term. It seems to be that the agrarian, livestock-breeding, fishing-hunting peasant economy/ecomomies, having been completed by activities of domestic and handicraft industries as well, had begun to settle down on the elevation in decades after the turn of the 5th and 6th century. Sometime in a period between 510 and 520, consequently in a more peaceful, more consolidated world during the history of the Gepid Kingdom. And afterwards — in accordance with evidence of the finds — it had lived its life for decennia up to the times about 560-570. One can not be ruled out the possibility (being perhaps more likely?), there is some talk of a settlement existing purely one-two ten years in the chronological frames drafted above. Its emerging is to be searched in some inner colonisation by the Gepid folk. In the matter of the absolute dating, mostly two findpieces are to be taken into consideration by us: the pottery with stamping-in and another with tubular spout — both of them are peculiar to the middle of the 6th century in comlex of the Gepidic archaeological relics. That times, when the Eastern Germanic potters had begun/started to make vessels of this sort, must have been the decades of 520-530. Thus on the basis of aforesaid ones there is unambiguous, indisputable the age of the Gepid settlement near the Sweiger-homestead at Szele vény village, (translated by the author) 165