Csányi Marietta et al. (szerk.): Tisicum - A Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok Megyei Múzeumok Évkönyve 25. (Szolnok, 2016)

Településrégészet - Mali Péter: Changing settlement patterns int he Bronze Age Tiszazug

MALI PETER: CHANGING SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN THE BRONZE AGE TISZAZUG

Early Bronze

Middle

Late Bronze

Early Iron

Late Iron

Age

Bronze

Age

Age

Age

Age

Subboreal

Subatlantic

Figure 8: Arvicola humidity curve with corrections through archeological data (after HORVÁTH, 2002.)

the end of the Makó period the population moved to the lower altitudes, probably meaning that the water levels were lower probably as much as 3 metres, and combined with the soil data, the economy was less dependant on the loess or sand soils, resulting in a much more varied spread across the region.

During the Middle Bronze Age the previous picture stay the same mostly with a few small changes. The lowest altitude for sites increases by 1 metre, while the rest of the data stays the same, resulting in a decrease in the altitude spread ending up at less than 2 metres. This results in the smallest spread in the whole Bronze Age and can be traced back to a possible higher flood level in the period, while the agricultural needs remain the same as in the Early Bronze Age 3.

The end of the Middle Bronze Age and the beginning of the Late Bronze Age sees a significant change from the previous period. The altitude of the sites rise again to 83 metres, again caused by the rising level of

water and yearly floods, which can be traced in other regions of the Carpathian Basin as well13 and was caused by the cooling climate of the time.14 The other significant change is the spread of the altitude means. After the smallest spread in the Bronze Age, the Tumulus Period generates the largest spread with 3,7 metres in total with the highest laying site appearing at 97 metres, while the lowest at 83,5 metres. This could mean that the settlements didn’t require so specific environment and had a more diverse set of economic needs.

At the end of the Bronze Age the Gáva period sees a large increase in the settlement number. This provides us more data to work with. Another change occurs at this time. The settlements move back to lower

13 HORVÁTH Anikó 2002.1. ábra; KISS Viktória 2007.32.; SÜMEGI Pál et al 2007.251-252.

14 SIART, Christoph-EITEL, Bernhard 2013. fig. 5.

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