Tárnoki Judit szerk.: Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 19. (2009)
Régészettudomány - Anders Alexandra - Késő neolitikus női viselet rekonstrukciója a Polgár-Csőszhalom-dűlőben feltárt sírok alapján
Alexandra ANDERS The reconstruction of late neolithic female attire on the basis of graves excavated at Polgár-Csőszhalom-dűlő Abstract In addition to its primary, protective function, clothing has several dimensions. It may serve as decoration, in addition to indicating gender, age and social status. Attire may express communal identity and be contrasted to clothing worn by other groups. 7 6 Similarly to language, clothing consists of a system of symbols that are independent, normative, and accepted as such by the community. As with language, various elements of this symbolic system may be emphasized as relevant to particular situations. It may be hypothesized that a relatively strict dress code existed during the Late Neolithic. On this basis the reconstruction of female attire was attempted at this site. In the case of the example under discussion here one may, reconstruction may be attempted on the basis of two sources: iconographie evidence and elements of grave finds. A variety of difficulties plagues the interpretation of both types of data: in the case of idols most frequently studied, it remains a question whom are they supposed to personify? (ancestor, predecessor, personality). It is also a question whether these representations show real portraits, their decoration showing real skirts, pants, loin clothes, shirts etc. Under the climatic conditions of the Carpathian Basin the preservation of non-osseous organic materials is poor; the majority of materials used in ancient clothing do not survive. Indirect evidence of prehistoric attire, however, is available in the form of jewelry made from shell, stone and bone. The artifactual assemblage recovered at Polgár-Csőszhalom-dűlő contains very few representations of humans, therefore Neolithic attire can be reconstructed only from grave goods. Fortunately, thanks to the extensive excavations carried out between 1992 and 2005, a reasonably great number of well documented burials (102) were available for study. The "richest" female grave was selected for the purposes of reconstruction in this study. It contained the greatest number of grave goods including pieces of attire. This burial recorded under Feature No. 836 was unusually large and deep and contained the remains of a mature woman, aging approximately 51-57 years (Fig. 1). In all likelihood, she was buried in a coffin. 7 7 A double string of sizable Spondylus shell beads decorated her head, connected by a few larger beads placed in the middle in opposing positions. A necklace, also strung of large Spondylus shell beads was found on her body. Smaller Spondylus shell beads alternating with red deer canine teeth decorated this piece of jewelry. Three Spondylus shell bracelets were found on both arms, while a bone ring was found on one of her fingers. A string of large marble beads ran around her waist. A few small, cylindrical beads made of shell were found near the left foot. Evidently, this lady was sent to her eternal journey in precious clothing, decorated with jewelry. A sachet containing red ochre, Spondylus- and red deer canine beads was placed near the head. Moreover two small vessels and two bone tools were also placed in her grave. 7 8 These observations had to be completed during the reconstruction with elements of we have only sketchy impressions and indirect data. Therefore her dress was drafted as a simple piece with woven rhomboid patterns. The few beads found near the feet were interpreted as decoration on a shoe (Fig. 2). Although other graves recovered at Polgár-Csőszhalom-dűlő were not this rich, the thus created picture must have been more-or-less relevant to the clothing of other members in the community. Moreover, female clothing may have been similar at other sites in the Great Hungarian Plain, presuming that Neolithic communities shared cultural affiliations in the region. 77 Identification by Zsuzsanna K. Zoffmann. 76 FLÓRIÁN Márta 1997. 589. 78 RACZKY, Pál - ANDERS, Alexandra 2006. 28-29, Fig. 5. 38
